Silver Pavements
by CAdreaming555
Summary: Eponine never thought she would waver in her obsessive love for Marius Pontmercy. Enjolras never thought any woman besides "Patria" would catch his eye.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: So I'm really excited to be writing my first Les Mis fanfiction! My main concern for this is getting the dialogue right…obviously the characters can't be saying things like "Dude, she's hot!" So I'll try my very best to keep it realistic but it's probably not going to be perfect. Also, I have read the book and will be including some book characters, but this is primarily musical/movie based. So Samantha Barks and Aaron Tveit are Eponine and Enjolras.

Eponine Thenardier was no stranger to the streets of Paris. She skulked about day by day, sneaking food for nourishment and wishing for the sun to stay in the sky so she would not have to return to her father's house at night. But of course, she could always sneak out, as she sometimes did, just to make believe that she was in the arms of Marius Pontmercy, a bourgeois university student who counted her as a good friend. But today the streets seemed colder, even less inviting than usual.

_"Find her for me, 'Ponine, I beg of you."_

And now she was relegated to the role of "errand girl" for Marius and this new object of his desires. Not just any object either—but the ragged little girl Eponine and her younger sister, Azelma, had mocked when they were children together in her parents' inn. _Cosette._

Eponine had also caught sight of her that day in the square, all dressed up in lace and petticoats. She leaned against a stone wall by an alley, smoothing her tattered green dress. It was one of only three she owned, each more threadbare than the last. The Thenardiers did not have the means for regular bathing, so her dark, wavy hair was often matted and tangled. A thin layer of grime always seemed to cover her skin, no matter how hard she scrubbed. _It's no wonder Marius will never see you as a lady, _Eponine thought bitterly.

It was late afternoon and the sunshine was beginning to wane. Eponine needed to find Cosette's residence and report back to Marius before it got too late to go home without severe questioning from her parents. When she finally came upon 55 Rue Plumet, and more importantly, the inhabitants of the house, she did not feel any sense of accomplishment. She was torn between the desire to be such a good friend to Marius that he would see her as more than that eventually, and the ache to make sure her love never found a girl who would take him away from her.

The sun had slipped behind the hills by the time she found her way back to Café Musain. She hesitated at the door.

"Eponine!" A small figure suddenly rushed toward her and jumped into her arms.

"Gavroche!" Eponine hugged her little brother. She only saw him on few occasions, since he had had the guts to leave their parents' house. Her little siblings were the only things that kept her sane these days. _Don't forget Marius. He keeps you sane, _a voice in the back of her head said. She pushed it aside. Marius made her even crazier, if anything.

"What are you doing here?" Gavroche asked, releasing her.

"What are _you _doing here?" Eponine retorted.

"I'm always here!" said Gavroche happily.

"But isn't this where Les Amis de l'ABC meet?"

"Yes, it is!"

"So again, what are you doing here?" Eponine asked, impatient.

"Eponine, I always hang around Les Amis! They're my friends." Eponine detected a hint of pride in the little boy's voice.

"Wait…" Eponine lowered her voice and whispered, "Do you know Marius?"

"Monsieur Pontmercy? Sure, he's in here quite a lot. I think he's in there right now, I do." He snickered. "The other boys are teasing him for something, I didn't hear what, but he looks almost in tears."

_He must be desperate. _"Ok, Gavroche, thank you!" She made to leave.

"Wait! You never answered my question! What are you doing here?"

"I have a message for Marius." She replied.

"Do you know any of the other boys in there?" Gavroche inquired.

"Well, no, I might recognize a few by face but I am not acquainted with them." Said Eponine.

"Then let me escort you in!" Gavroche smiled brightly up at his big sister. "I know them and they all know me."

Eponine couldn't say no to his dirty, smiling face. "Alright, Gavroche, lead the way."

Inside the café, the Les Amis were enjoying various evening activities. There were a few at the bar, a few chatting by the tables, and a blonde boy off to the side, writing notes in a book. Eponine caught sight of Marius among the boys at the tables, but he hardly looked in the mood for chatter. His head rested on his elbow in utter melancholy. She saw one of the other boys poke me hard and say something that was incomprehensible for her, but it must have been a joke at his expense because all the others in the area laughed.

"Gavroche!" exclaimed a boy by the bar.

"Bonjour, Monsieur Courfeyrac!" Gavroche smiled as Courfeyrac ruffled his dirty blonde hair.

"I was of the thought that you left a few moments ago?"

"I did, but I found a reason to come back." Gavroche smiled even wider and grabbed his sister's hand. Courfeyrac glanced up into Eponine's face. She smiled, a little shyly.

"Pleased to meet you, Mademoiselle…" He let the introduction hang there, waiting for her to finish.

"Eponine…Jondrette."

"Well, it's very nice to make your acquaintance."

"The same to you, monsieur."

"You can call me Courfeyrac. How do you know Gavroche here?"

"She's my sister!" Said Gavroche.

"Ah! Well then, mademoiselle, you are more than welcome into the lair of Les Amis de l'ABC!" Courfeyrac smiled at the two siblings.

Eponine smiled, a little awkwardly, before a voice behind her rescued her.

"Eponine!"

She turned around to see Marius gazing at her in delight. She felt her stomach swoop. This was the way she wanted him to always look at her. Marius rushed forward, nearly knocking Courfeyrac to the ground. He grabbed one of her arms. "Eponine, please tell me you have found my beloved!"

_His beloved? A few hours of never even talking to her, and she is his beloved already?_

"Y-yes." She stuttered. "I did."

"Eponine, you are the greatest friend! Will you take me to her?"

"Of course."

And with that agreement, Eponine unknowingly set herself on a path that led her into the arms of someone else.

A/N: So I realize that Enjolras is not even in this, but I wanted to provide some exposition on Eponine first. I promise Enjolras will be featured heavily in the next chapter, which should be up tomorrow! I know this chapter is crummy, but bear with me, I think it will get better!


	2. Chapter 2

Enjolras saw from the corner of his eye Marius talking quickly to a girl that had just entered the café. He shook his head. Marius was almost shaking the girl.

"Is that the girl Marius has been going on about?" Combeferre asked.

Enjolras shrugged, returning to his books.

"No, the girl he was talking about is blonde, right?" said Feuilly.

"Oh, that's right, I remember he was thinking of writing a poem about her 'golden locks'." Combeferre sniggered.

Enjolras looked up, annoyed. "Is it going to be pointless to come here if Marius is around?" He was frustrated. He was trying to plan a rebellion, for crying out loud, not participate in a gossip session like young schoolgirls.

"Dunno, probably." Said Feuilly.

"Wait, then who is that girl?" Combeferre asked again, gesturing to the brunette who was whispering to Marius.

Courfeyrac, who had approached the group a few moments earlier, took a swig of liquor. "That's Eponine, Gavroche's sister."

"I actually do think I've seen her about here several times." Mentioned Combeferre, mulling it over.

"She's usually hanging around Marius." Said Courfeyrac. "I think it's fairly obvious she fancies him."

Enjolras took another look at the girl. She was leading Marius outside with a small, sad looking smile. She was quite dirty, he noted, with a ragged dress and tangled hair. Even so, traces of beauty shone through, and he couldn't help but feel for the girl whose feelings were obviously not going to be returned.

Over the next few days, Les Amis began seeing Eponine around the café more often. She would frequently come in the late afternoon, with a letter for Marius. Sometimes she would leave with him, but sometimes she stayed in the café, looking a little out of place in her rags among the well-to-do students. She and Gavroche talked a lot by themselves, presumably about their family, but after a few days some of the boys introduced themselves to her. She became a lot more personable after that.

One night, only she and Enjolras remained the café. Enjolras had never felt like approaching her. He liked to leave personal conversations to others; he had other work to do. So he was surprised when she approached him.

"What are you reading?"

He looked up in surprise. "Excuse me?"

She smiled softly and sat down in a chair close by. "You're always engrossed in your books. What are you reading?"

He wasn't quite sure what to say to the gamine. "I'm not really reading—I've already read all these books—it's more just taking notes and recording my thoughts."

"Your revolutionary thoughts?" She looked at him inquisitively.

"Yes…do you come to our meetings?" He asked. _How did she know about his revolution?_

"Gavroche and Marius tell me about you." She looked down, blushing, when she said Marius's name. Courfeyrac's statement was looking to be true.

"How do you know Marius?" He asked, closing his book.

"We met on the street a little while ago." Her blush was creeping up her sunken cheeks.

Enjolras nodded. "You're Eponine, aren't you?"

She looked into his green eyes. "Yes. You go by Enjolras, is that right?"

"It is, mademoiselle."

Eponine looked startled. It wasn't often anyone of a higher class called her _mademoiselle. _"Well, it's nice to meet you, Monsieur Enjolras."

"The same to you too, Eponine."

The two parted ways soon after. After that day, though, whenever they were together in the café they would engage in short conversations, which usually involved Eponine inquiring about his plans for a revolution. Eponine started to grow on him, as well as the rest of Les Amis. While she had at first come off as a meek, lovesick puppy, it turned out she was one of the brightest and most cunning people in the room. When it came to the real world of the French lower class, she knew more than all the students combined.

"Have you ever seen Enjolras hold a conversation with a lady for more than two minutes?" Courfeyrac asked Combeferre one night. He watched as Enjolras chuckled and Eponine pointed to a line in one of his books.

"Enjolras? No, never, why?" Combeferre answered.

Courfeyrac subtly pointed to the pair. Combeferre smiled when he saw. "There's a first for everything, then, isn't there?"

"She sure is better looking than Patria, I must add.' Said Courfeyrac with a grin.

"Don't let Enjolras hear you say that!" Said Grantaire, who was just now joining them. Already tipsy, he let out a burp. "Patria is the most beautiful woman in the world!" He proclaimed, beginning to imitate Enjolras. "Her beauty attracts the most chaste of men, she inspires us all to fight for her, and she will forever be known as the greatest woman in the world! I will say, however, that Eponine has nicer breasts than her."

The other boys burst into laughter.

At their table in the corner, Eponine and Enjolras looked to where the sudden raucous laughter was coming from. Eponine smiled. "You have nice friends" She said.

"They are very loyal." Enjolras remarked. "And very good company." He looked at Eponine, who had a sad smile on her face. "Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing…" She said. "I just can't help but be a little envious of you guys."

"Why is that?"

"You have people who stand by you, Enjolras. You have friends who are going to pick up guns for your cause. You can come here at any time and have faces to talk to."

His smile slid off his face. "And you don't?"

She let out a derisive laugh. "Look at me, monsieur. I am from the streets. There are no friends where I come from. No one talks to street girls, except maybe men who are willing to pay for a night with them."

"You talk to Marius often."

She looked at her scuffed shoes. "All I do for him these days is deliver notes to his beloved."

"I'm sure he appreciates it." Enjolras tried to soothe her.

Eponine shrugged. "Maybe, but then again, maybe not."

As if on cue, Marius entered the café, his eyes searching wildly. Catching sight of Eponine and Enjolras, he swiftly made his way over to their table.

"Eponine, dear Eponine, would you do me the favor of delivering this to Cosette?" He grasped a scroll of paper in his hand.

Enjolras looked at him scathingly. "Why in God's name can't you do it yourself?"

Marius looked taken aback. "I am merely asking of Eponine to—"

Enjolras snatched the paper out of his hand. "I'll do it myself, if you are indeed so desperate. Where does Cosette live?"

"55 Rue Plumet." It was Eponine who answered his question.

Enjolras nodded. "Very well. I'll take it myself."

Eponine was in awe. Why would he suddenly give up his detached attitude for the sake of her not having to torture herself by being her love's errand girl?

Enjolras strode towards the door, pausing to say some words to Courfeyrac. Marius sat down at another table.

Eponine was about to gather her coat and leave when a drunk Grantaire approached her. "He likes you." He said to her.

"No, he never will." Said Eponine, looking at Marius.

"No," said Grantaire, grabbing her shoulders and rotating her to look at Enjolras, still in conversation by the doorway. "Him. He likes you."

Wriggling out of Grantaire's grasp, she looked at him and scoffed. "Please, monsieur, that is not possible."

From the doorway, Enjolras called to Eponine. "I might actually need someone to show me the way." He smiled. "I apologize for the inconvenience."

Eponine felt a swoop of joy in her stomach. She wouldn't mind having to walk to Rue Plumet if she did it with a friend. She started to walk towards him

Grantaire grabbed her arm. "Let me tell you something, Eponine. He may be made of marble, but marble can crack."


	3. Chapter 3

"Thank you." Eponine said after a few moments of silence. She was leading Enjolras through the streets of Paris toward Rue Plumet.

"It was no trouble." He responded. He did not need to ask what she was thanking him for. He was intelligent and quick-thinking, not oblivious like his good friend Marius.

"I must ask, though," Eponine started, "Why?" She took a deep breath. She wasn't sure if she wanted an answer. She was already regretting asking. She did not want to make things awkward between her and this kind man.

Enjolras shrugged, also feeling a little awkward. "It is not fair of Marius to treat you like a servant."

Eponine glanced down and smiled. "Thank you. Again."

Enjolras just nodded. They walked for a few more minutes in calm silence. Eponine suddenly turned a corner into an alleyway. Enjolras stopped. The alley was dark and musty, with homeless men and women asleep in the crevices.

"Eponine!" Enjolras called after the girl who was walking through the alley several steps ahead of him. She looked back.

"What?"

"This cannot possibly be the way to Rue Plumet."

"Oh no, it's a shortcut I know. Come on, now." She waved for him to follow, and he reluctantly did.

"Do you live on the streets?" Enjolras asked suddenly. Eponine looked surprised at his audacity.

"No, I still live with my mother and father."

"Does Gavroche live with you?"

"No, he left home very young. I feel jealous of him sometimes, he has so much freedom. Although you and the rest of Les Amis are better company than I thought he might have."

Enjolras smiled. "He's an excellent boy."

They continued down cramped and damp streets, Enjolras keeping a wary eye for signs of danger. Eponine looked completely unfazed. Enjolras realized that although she did not live her, it was true what they said about her. Eponine knew her way around.

"OI!" A deep voice called from a few steps behind them. They stopped, Enjolras stepping a little in front of Eponine.

A large man, balding and nearly toothless, pushed past Enjolras without a glance and grabbed a hold of Eponine's chin, twisting it, examining her face. Eponine's hands balled into fists and she tried to pull herself away.

"How much for this one, then?" The ugly man looked at Enjolras.

"She's not for _sale._" He nearly spit the last word out, his angelic face reddening in anger. He smacked the man's hand away from Eponine. Eponine rubbed her face, trying to erase the marks his fingers had left.

"Name your price." The man said. Eponine could smell alcohol on his breath.

"There is no price, monsieur." Enjolras was trying to stay calm, though he was boiling with anger on the inside. "This mademoiselle is not. For. Sale."

The man walked away, grumbling. Eponine turned to Enjolras to thank him, but the student spoke first. "It was necessary to take this shortcut?" Eponine noted how angry Enjolras looked, and she could not decipher who it was he mad at.

"I come this way all the time, it's usually quite safe." She defended herself.

"You being mistaken for a whore is not safe, Eponine." He growled.

"I'm quite used to it, Monsieur." Said Eponine. She did not sound sad or lonely when she said this. She simply sounded like a girl who had not grown up in such a way as ladies in Enjolras's social class had. The two continued walking, but Enjolras made sure to walk very close to Eponine in case this incident happened again. Their proximity did not go unnoticed by Eponine, who found it very strange and widened the space between them again.

"You shouldn't have to be used to it." Said Enjolras, still feeling a little unnerved.

"Maybe not, but what should have been isn't going to change anything that already was." She smiled at him. A few minutes later, they emerged from the dank alleys onto a much nicer, spacious street.

"Ah, I recognize this now." Enjolras said, taking Marius's note out of his pocket. "Are we close to Cosette's?"

"Right this way." She gestured toward a house near the corner. "Um, thank you Monsieur. For what happened in the alley. I owe you."

"It was no more than any gentleman should do." He deflected the compliment.

Once they had delivered Marius's note to Cosette's, Eponine turned to Enjolras. "I must be leaving, I can't be home too late or my father will be angry."

Enjolras frowned. "Maybe I should escort you there."

"No, really monsieur, it's okay." Eponine did not want Enjolras to see where she lived. She was embarrassed. It probably would have been the worst house Enjolras had ever seen.

"Are you quite sure?"

"Very. I thank you for your kindness, though." She gave him a little side smile.

"It was no trouble." He repeated his words from earlier. "I hope to see you at some of our meetings, mademoiselle."

"I hope to be there, too." She smiled. "Can you make your way back to Café Musain on your own?"

"I think I can." He returned her smile, and with that the two went their separate ways.

When Enjolras returned to the café, it was nearly midnight, but the place was crowded. He approached Marius, who was engaged in a somber conversation with Feuilly, who looked incredibly bored. Gavroche was listening in. "You letter has been delivered, you can be happy again."

"Thank you, my friend! But where is 'Ponine?" Marius asked.

"She had to return home." Replied Enjolras.

"I worry for her there." Said Gavroche.

"Why is that?" Asked Enjolras, sitting in a chair beside them.

"There's a reason I left home, Enjolras. It's not a safe place. Mother and Father are terrible to her and Azelma, our sister. They use her for their crimes."

"Why doesn't she leave as you did?' Marius demanded.

Gavroche shrugged. "Because at the end of the day, the streets are still dangerous and she needs somewhere to go. Everyone knows the streets are safer for boys than girls."

Enjolras was tempted to recount what had happened on their walk, but bit his tongue. He did not want to scare the boy; Eponine was his sister for Christ's sake.

Marius shook his head. "Cosette feels so badly for her. My beloved has the sweetest soul—"

At this point everyone started ignoring him. Gavroche even rolled his eyes.

At the Thenardiers', there was trouble brewing.

"200 francs, this is not enough!" Madame Thenardier fumed, knocking over a chair in her anger.

Eponine unknowingly chose this terrible moment to sneak in the front door. Her parents whirled on her.

"Where have you been, little mademoiselle?" Her father sneered at her.

"I was out." Eponine tried to dodge giving a specific answer. Usually her parents did not care where she spent her time as long as she followed their special orders.

"Spending time with bourgeois university students?" Her mother's mouth twisted into a mocking smile.

"How—how do you know?" Eponine stuttered.

"We've seen you," said Thenardier. "Playing upper-class student, are we now, Eponine? Or are you just their whore?"

"They're my _friends._" Retorted Eponine.

"You have no friends." Her father spit down at her. "Now go to bed, we might need you tomorrow."

Eponine went silently to her shared room with Azelma, trying to hold in her emotions. She couldn't help feel a pang of fear as she listened to her parents plotting in the next room, and wondered what horrors tomorrow was going to bring.

A/N: Ok first of all, thank you for all your reviews/favorites/follows! You guys actually are the most fantastic people ever! I appreciated a few comments I got about the pacing of this, which is really kind of slow. I'm of the belief that their strong personalities is what ultimately, in AU, draw Eponine and Enjolras together, but it's also those strong personalities that would cause them to clash and slow down any relationship. So I'm not diving into an immediate "Oh my god I love him/her" after five minutes of knowing each other, I'm trying to picture their relationship as realistically as possible for now. Thank you for bearing with me, I love you all!


	4. Chapter 4

"_Where do you think you're going?!"_

A loud screech issued from behind Eponine, whose heart sank. It was very early in the morning; the sun was just rising. Eponine had been trying to sneak out of the shack her family called a home, hoping to avoid whatever had planned for her that day. Sometimes she was used as bait to lure wealthy looking gentleman into alleys and sometimes she would stand guard while Patron-Minette robbed a house. Eponine turned around to meet the glaring eyes of her mother.

"Just stepping out for a bit—" Eponine tried to answer. She wanted to reason with her mother before her father made an appearance, in all his dastardly glory.

"What's going on out here?"

Eponine silently cursed to herself as her wish was smashed to bits in the form of her father entering the room.

"The little brat is trying to leave without telling us." Madame Thenardier answered her husband. Eponine had to fight to roll her eyes. They still did not know that she often came and went as she pleased.

Thenardier marched over to Eponine. "As long as you're back here before the sun goes down, you'll get no trouble, understand?" She could feel his hot breath on her face, and she grimaced as she nodded.

Later in the morning, Eponine leaned against a stone wall in a crowded street. She blended in well, her brown and green rags and messy hair was a good disguise in the street. She had been wandering around Paris until the sun had reached its peak. Ever since she had started hanging around the ABC Café, she longed for the hours when she could duck in there and lay eyes on her precious Marius, or maybe hold a conversation with her brother or Enjolras.

_Enjolras. _The name had been sticking in her head lately. She liked to listen to him speak—she had never heard such passion come out of one person's mouth. He provided interesting conversation, even if he was a little stoic when it came to his personal life. She could probably say he was the most emotionally guarded person she'd ever met—aside from herself.

"Eponine!" A voice behind her drew her out of her reverie, and she looked around to see a flushed Marius running to her side. She felt her lips curve into a large smile at the sight of him smiling at her.

"Good morning, Monsieur Marius!"

As he reached her side, he ignored her friendly greeting. "Eponine, thank goodness I've found you!"

She felt her heart swell. He had wanted to find her!

"What can I do for you?" She asked eagerly.

"Later this evening, could you meet me at Café Musain? I'm in great need of your help." Marius nearly begged.

"Why must my help wait until this evening?" Eponine asked, then bit her tongue. Here he was, asking her to spend time with him in the café!

"There is more time then. I must be going now."

"Oh…ok!" By the time the last syllable was out of her mouth, he had already rushed off. She sighed.

Down the street, Marius joined Courfeyrac and Jean Prouvaire. "She has agreed." He panted.

"Of course she did." Muttered Courfeyrac. "We had no doubt she would."

Marius looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing," Courfeyrac told him. But when Marius looked away again, Courfeyrac shook his head. It was obvious to all of Les Amis that Eponine was practically Marius's puppy, following him around everywhere only to get repeatedly kicked in the stomach by her unreturned affection.

Enjolras strode over to them. "Have you all just come from classes?"

"That is right," said Jean Prouvaire. "You?"

Enjolras nodded, and then noticed Marius staring wistfully down the street. He followed his gaze and saw Eponine sitting against a wall, her knees curled to her chest. Her face was hid by a curtain of tangled curls, but all the boys could tell that she looked miserable.

Enjolras narrowed his eyes at Marius. "Has the object of your affections changed again?"

This brought Marius out of his stupor. He looked to where the his friends were looking: at the sad girl down the street. "No, Enjolras, my heart belongs only to Cosette."

The students began walking back to their classes. "Why do you bother with Eponine, then?" Enjolras asked.

"Eponine is a close friend," replied Marius guardedly.

"_Close?"_ Jean Prouvaire asked teasingly.

"Stop that. No, Eponine is just a friend." Marius amended. Enjolras couldn't help but glance back to where Eponine had been. She was still sitting, clutching her knees, but now she faced the sky and he could see a tear rolling down the side of her cheek. He frowned.

Eponine quickly wiped away her tears. _What's the matter with you? _She thought. She was a Thenardier, practically incapable of showing emotions. Except in the case of her devotion to Marius, the one time she showed her emotions and got none in return. Still, though, she would join him tonight at the Café for whatever he had planned.

After their next class, Courfeyrac walked up to Enjolras. "You were awfully curious about Eponine back there, my friend."

Enjolras, who was never one to let many emotions cross his handsome face, merely looked at his friend in disdain "What does that mean?"

"Well, we have never seen you express even the remotest interest in any female in Paris," Courfeyrac teased. "Is the virtuous Enjolras finally coming to his senses?"

Enjolras's steps halted and he looked quite surprised. "I have no idea what you are implying." He said coolly. "I do not wish to be distracted by feminine wiles while there is work to be done."

Courfeyrac laughed. "It would be quite alright to see you loosen your grip on your steadfastedness, Enjolras. Although, maybe Eponine is not the best choice for such a thing," he said thoughtfully.

"I do not find anything wrong with Eponine for the class she was raised in—but that does not matter, Courfeyrac. She's just an interesting girl…nothing more."

Eponine ended up arriving at the Café earlier than most of the students. She didn't recognize anyone there when she entered, so she sat alone at the bar. The bartender waited a few minutes in silence before demanding she buy something.

"Oh, um…" She fished around in her skirt for a moment before drawing out a coin and paying for a drink.

"Drowning your sorrows?" A voice beside her asked. She looked around to see Enjolras and Grantaire, who had just entered. It was Enjolras who had spoken. "This one here," he clapped his hand on Grantaire's shoulder, "knows all about that."

Grantaire shrugged. "He's not lying." He smiled at Eponine, waving for the bartender to bring him a drink.

"What brings you here, Eponine?" Enjolras asked. Eponine eyed the empty chair beside her, wondering if he would sit down. He did not.

"Monsieur Marius asked me to meet him here." She couldn't keep a twinge of pride out of her voice.

Enjolras nodded. "I—"

He was interrupted by Grantaire, who was talking very loudly to the bartender. "A drink for the young miss over here, then." He gestured to Eponine.

Eponine looked surprised. "Oh no, m'sieur, I have no more money." She waved away the mug.

"No matter," said Grantaire happily. "I'm paying." He eyed her emaciated frame. "A few drinks could do you good."

Eponine looked to Enjolras for guidance, but he offered none. The handsome revolutionary was looking quizzically at his friend Grantaire.

"No, really, I'm fine." Eponine shook her head. "No need to spend your money for me."

"Suit yourself." Grantaire shrugged. "You should eat more, though. It would help you fill out some more." He placed a hand near her waist. Eponine jerked away.

"I thought he was like this only when drunk." She mumbled to Enjolras, who chuckled.

Grantaire heard her words. "My mind is perpetually drunk, my dear."

She shook her head. "I'd eat more if I could," she snapped. "Some of us can't afford a meal three times a day." Angered, she whirled toward the door, ready to leave. She crashed right into Marius.

"Eponine, you are here! Excellent." He took her wrist and dragged her to a table. The girl looked back at Grantaire and Enjolras. The former was laughing, but Enjolras retained a serious look on his face. Her cheeks heated up when she realized Enjolras was looking at her pensively.

"Yes, I am here. But this must be quick, Monsieur, I must be home before it is too dark."

"Very well." He sat them both down and pulled out a poem. "I require your assistance in a poem I am composing for my Cosette. Perhaps you could inform me what words sound best?"

Eponine could feel her blood begin to boil. So he needed her for more business with Cosette. She was nothing more than a maid to him. Yet she plastered a smile on her face.

"Yes, but only for a minute, and then I must leave." She looked out the window—the sun was beginning to set. For once, she was thankful for an excuse to leave Marius's presence.

She advised him on how to woo Cosette, who, as it sounded to her, barely needed wooing at this point. Cosette seemed as smitten with Marius as he was with her.

"I must go." She said a few minutes later, standing up. Marius remained sitting. "I'll see you around, monsieur."

Marius simply nodded, not even looking up at her. He was engrossed in the paper he was scribbling on.

Eponine sighed and left the Café, realizing she was racing time to get back to her parents house before dark. She ended up raising the hem of her skirt and nearly sprinting back to the Thenardiers' hovel.

"Ah, here she is," said her father as she neared the home. She stopped when she was he was with the other members of the gang. "C'mon, 'Ponine, we need you tonight."

She cringed at the sight of one of the gang in particular: Montparnasse. A former childhood friend, she now hated the sight of the man who was frequently trying to force himself on her. Just a little older than her, with dark hair and a cocky smile, she loathed him.

"What if I refuse?" She asked defiantly.

"You'll regret it dearly." Her father snarled, pulling her into a huddle. "We are doing a raid tonight—some well-to-do young man on Rue Liberte."

Eponine knew it wouldn't end well if she did not comply, so she went along with her father's plan as he explained it to them.

The five of them made their way under cover of darkness a few hours later. When they arrived, Thenardier motioned to a large flat on the other side of the street. It looked deserted. Eponine could feel, due to the group's nearness, Montparnasse's hand trailing up the outside of her leg to her hip. She wanted to whirl around and hit him, but she knew that would only bring more trouble. Her father had "promised her" to the fox. She wrested his hand off her hip though, and prayed he wouldn't protest.

Her father led the band of criminals subtly across the street, spreading them out so as not to _look _like a gang. Eponine hovered near the stoop while the largest of the gang, Brujon, started to pick the lock.

"What's going on?!" Cried a voice from a few meters down. The entirety of Patron-Minette looked around to see a group of young men approaching, the first of which was identifiable due to a few rays of light coming from an apartment. Eponine gasped. It was Enjolras. _Patron-Minette was robbing Enjolras's home. _

Brujon stopped picking the lock and looked up. Enjolras was rushing forward to see what was happening. Brujon grinned a stupid grin and raised his beefy fist, ready to pound Enjolras and the rest of the boys so they could not identify the criminals.

"STOP!" Eponine cried as Brujon's fist swung through the air toward the student's handsome face. She rushed forward in front of Enjolras and immediately felt the gang member's blow to her face.

Enjolras jumped back in surprise, right into Joly and Combeferre.

"Your brat's getting in the way!" Screamed one of Thenardier's friends.

Eponine lay on the cool ground, her cheek throbbing. She felt a strong hand lift her to her feet again and she looked into the eyes of her furious father, who swiftly landed another blow to her stomach.

As Enjolras, Joly, and Combeferre looked on in horror from where they had rushed back to, each gang member including the smallest, Montparnasse, took a turn to hit her harder than she'd ever been hit.

"Quickly, men," her father cried, shielding his face from the small amount of light and motioning for the rest to do the same, "Leave her here, the bourgeois can have their way with her, little bitch." He spit down on the motionless body of his daughter and the criminals hastily retreated, leaving Eponine on the street.

Enjolras, Joly, and Combeferre ran to the girl's body. "Who _is _that?" Combeferre demanded. "What just happened?!"

Joly rolled the girl over to see her face and gasped. "It's Eponine!"

"Eponine?" Enjolras crouched by the girl's side and wiped a smear of blood off her face. "Eponine, what have you done?"

Eponine mouth moved, though her eyes remained closed. "I…I owed you." She coughed.


	5. Chapter 5

The boys saw Eponine go limp again. A large purple bruise was already forming on her tawny face.

"We've got to get her inside." Combeferre said urgently. "Enjolras, this is your home, right?"

Enjolras nodded. He was a little astounded. Joly, Combeferre and him had been walking to his apartment to pick up some books, when all of a sudden his house was being robbed and a girl was defending him. He shook himself out of his thoughts. "Yes, it is. We will bring her in here."

A long pause followed. Enjolras realized the other two were looking from him to Eponine, as if silently awaiting orders. Enjolras almost rolled his eyes. "I will take her."

Enjolras leaned down again, taking Eponine into his arms with one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders. He cringed at how light she was.

"What's wrong?" Joly asked, noting Enjolras's expression.

"Nothing…she's just very, very light."

When Eponine awoke, the world was hazy and bright. She blinked, but the overwhelming light did not diminish. _Where am I? _She realized she was on a bed—a very soft bed at that. There was a pillow under her head for the first time in years, she noticed with wonder. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she wanted more than anything to simply fall asleep again forever.

_Where am I? _The question repeated in her head, nagging her until she was awake again. She sat up abruptly. Her head immediately began to spin again and she felt her eyes roll back in her head and her body slump back to the bed.

"She's awake!" She heard a voice cry out from a few feet away. The world was slowly coming into focus. She saw a figure running out of the room and bright sunlight streaming in from a window. _It's morning? But it was just night…_

The last night's events were slowly coming back to her. The attempted robbery, seeing Enjolras…and then fists slamming into her small body. She heard footsteps approaching and looked to the side.

She saw a handful of ABC Café boys gathering, chief among them Joly and Enjolras. "Good day, monsieurs." She croaked out, attempting a smile. Her throat felt like old parchment.

"Get her some water—quickly!" One of the boys, she thought it was Joly, said, and another boy rushed out of the room.

"Can you hear me, Eponine?" Joly said to her.

Combeferre reentered with a small glass of water. Joly dabbed some of it on her cracked lips.

The world was finally in focus for Eponine. Joly was leaning towards her, with Enjolras and Combeferre hovering behind him. She was starting to feel like a caged animal. She nodded in response to his question, then tried sitting up again. Her head didn't spin as much this time.

"No, lie down." Joly's hand pressed against her shoulder.

Eponine shook her head, resisting his push. She looked around. "What's going on?"

Joly looked at his fellows worriedly, then back to Eponine. "Do you not remember what happened last night?"

She frowned. "I remember most of it. I remember Patron—I mean, I remember being with my father—I mean…." She struggled to figure out how to recount the story without giving away her real last name or her family's sordid reputation.

"Your father?" Joly asked, shocked, but Combeferre cut in.

"You took a beating, Eponine!" he said in wonder, before Enjolras elbowed him in the rib for his lack of tact.

The frown remained on Eponine's face. "Just a regular beating? Oh! Then I should be fine—" She started to swing her legs over the bed.

"No!" Joly almost screeched. "Eponine, you might have hurt your head when you got dropped to the ground. Lay down."

She reluctantly complied.

"May I have a word with Eponine?" Enjolras asked suddenly, motioning with his head for the other two to leave.

"Don't hurt her," warned Joly as he left. Enjolras shot him a weary look, and then turned to Eponine.

"Eponine, what is going on?" He asked. Eponine detected a hint of wonder in his voice.

"What do you mean?" It seemed to Eponine that there were many things going on at the moment. Chief among which: her desire to know where she was.

"Why did you do that last night?"

"Do what?" She was fairly certain she knew what he was talking about, but she had never seen the marble statue of a leader look so uncertain or awkward, and she found it amusing to watch.

"I came home to find a gang of men attempting to break into my apartment, and just as one of the men is about to bash my face in, you're there."

"So you're asking…?" She had to contain her giggles as she watched Enjolras squirm.

"I'm asking why you were there and why on _Earth _you stepped in front of me!" Enjolras was trying not to get upset with the injured girl.

"I can't answer your first question," she said, guarded, "And I thought I answered your second last night—I owed you, Enjolras."

"For what?"

"For scaring away that man in the alley the other night. I told you I owed you then and unlike some members of my family, I usually keep my word."

"I only did what any gentleman would do! Eponine, you were seriously hurt! And for what? I can take a punch." Enjolras ran his hands through his blond curls, not meeting her eyes.

Eponine searched his expression with her dark eyes. "No _gentleman _has ever done that for me, m'sieur."

"Why couldn't you answer my first question?" He looked up suddenly.

"Pardon?"

"Why were you there last night?" He demanded. His voice was becoming harsher.

"I can't answer." Her voice did not waver. She was not nervous about confronting him.

"But you must!"

"I'm not all I seem to be, Monsieur Enjolras, and that's all that I can say." She snapped. "Now would you kindly answer one of my questions?"

"Fine." He said. He sounded weary, and he did not meet her piercing gaze.

"Where am I?"

"Oh," a small smile crossed his lips. "You are in my home, Eponine. We brought you in after last night. We could not just leave you lying on the street." His eyes fell upon her cheek, and she touched it questioningly. A drop of blood lay on her finger. She quickly wiped her face off, embarrassed.

She was not sure what to respond as she realized she was lying in the student's bed. "Well.." She pursed her dry lips. "I really should be leaving then, I do not wish to intrude." It was then she realized that her body under the covers, from her shoulders down, was covered in goosebumps. She peeked under the blankets and held back a gasp.

She still had her tattered skirt around her hips, but apart from that her body was nearly bare. Only a thickly wrapped bandage concealed her breasts, and there was a cold ointment smeared over portions of her stomach. She could feel a red heat creeping into her face and she thanked heaven that Enjolras was not looking her way at the moment.

"Monsieur Enjolras?" She asked quietly.

He looked back at her. "Yes, Eponine?"

"Where are my clothes?" She tried to keep a nervous waver out of her voice. Her corset, her chemise…where were they?

"Oh!" Eponine had expected him to go red too, but he looked amazingly calm. "They are in the other room, Joly needed—"

"Joly needed _what?" _She could not keep the venom out of her voice. Even wandering the streets most of her adolescent life, she had managed to retain most of her modesty.

"Joly is a medical student." Enjolras explained, still composed. "You were badly hurt, Eponine. He wanted to treat you so none of your injuries would worsen."

"I get hurt on a near daily basis!" She spat. "And the pain goes away by itself!"

His eyebrows knit. "You've been hurt like this before?"

"Of course I have! How do you not know, if your little friend conducted a thorough examination of my privacy?" She pulled the covers clear up to her chin, a thought occurring to her. "Where you _all _here?"

"What do you mean?"

"When I was undressed! Were you all here?"

She was in awe that his face still remained unmarred by a blush as he responded. "Eponine…yes, Combeferre and I were there, we wanted to make sure you were okay."

"So you—"

"Eponine, Joly is a medical student," he repeated gently. "You are not the first woman he, nor any of us, he has seen in such a state."

She was breathing heavily. "Please leave."

"The room? Or the apartment? I'm afraid this is my home." Did she detect a hint of humor in his voice? It infuriated her! He should be ashamed of himself, they all should!

"The room! The apartment! This country!" She tried not to scream in anger. She heard voices outside the room growing louder. "Please leave."

"I—" He tried to reply, but she could not wait any longer. She swung herself out of bed, ignoring the dizzy sensation. She nearly tripped over a blanket caught on her foot. Enjolras stood up, grabbing her elbow to steady her. She quickly shook him off.

"I must be going." She forgot about the chill that was seeping into her bare skin as she stormed out of the room. The door hit Combeferre and Grantaire, who must have arrived that morning, as it swung out.

"Eponine!" Joly exclaimed. "What are you—"

She cut him off as well. "Give me my clothes." She snarled, trying to ignore the stares that Combeferre and Grantaire were giving her.

"They're on the table." Joly stuttered. Did she detect a hint of fear in his voice? Good.

She stalked over to the table, wiping the ointment off her stomach as she went. Eponine was almost completely unfazed by the black, red, and purple bruises it has concealed. She laced up her corset as Enjolras entered the room.

"Eponine! You're really not well." He said.

"Who are you to tell me I'm not well?" She said harshly, knotting the last lace of her corset and pulling her chemise over her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Grantaire winking at her appreciatively. She shook her head.

"Eponine, he's right. You can stay here for a bit, we can make sure—" Joly tried to reassure her, and again she cut him off.

"You will make sure of nothing, monsieur." With that snarl, she stormed out of the room.

Back on the street, she wanted to both collapse and run. She did not want to move her sore body, she wanted to just lie down and cry. But she also needed to get as far away from this street as possible…as far away from the boys.

A/N: I don't know what I think of this chapter…I don't really plan ANY of this stuff out, guys, I just put my hands on the keyboard and this is what comes out, so tell me what you think! Love you always.


	6. Chapter 6

A week later, Enjolras sat in the corner of the Café, scribbling down notes while merriment was had around him. Although it was only early in the evening, Grantaire was on his second bottle of absinthe and the rest of Les Amis was also partaking in large amounts of alcohol. Enjolras felt a small hand tug his sleeve and looked around. It was Gavroche. He looked even dirtier than most of the times Enjolras had seen him.

"What can I do for you, Gavroche?" All the café boys had a soft spot for the outspoken, rebellious youngster. But Enjolras had never seen the boy look so nervous.

"Um, have you seen 'Ponine anywhere?" He looked down at his ragged shoes.

Enjolras wasn't sure what to say. None of them had seen the girl since she had outright _fled _his apartment the week before. They had kept their eyes peeled on the streets for any sign of her, but for all their bravado when it came to picking up arms for their revolution, none of them had suggested venturing through the alleys in Eponine's side of town.

"I haven't, Gavroche, I'm sorry." He tried to let down the boy gently. Gavroche's face dropped and he bit his lip. "Are you worried about her?"

Gavroche nodded. "Sometimes weeks go by and I don't see her, but last week I saw our papa hitting her harder than usual and I have not seen her since."

Enjolras put down his pen and faced Gavroche worriedly. "When was this? That you saw her at your father's house?"

"I don't keep track of days, monsieur Enjolras. All I remember is, I was sneaking home to steal some food and Eponine came running in. She already had a bruise on her face, but Papa hurt her anyway." Gavroche, much like Eponine, quickly hid his emotions behind his sleeve.

Enjolras felt a prickle of worry. Eponine had gone home after leaving the boys behind, and it looked like things hadn't gone well for her there, either.

"Listen, Gavroche, talk to Marius. If anyone here might have seen her, it would be him." He prayed to Christ that Eponine's shadow-like tendencies toward Pontmercy wouldn't fail them now.

Gavroche nodded. "Thank you, Monsieur."

At the bar, Marius was laughing heartily with Courfeyrac and Grantaire by his side. Gavroche scampered up to them.

"Marius! Marius!" He almost had to yell over the noise to attract the young man's attention.

Marius and Courfeyrac looked down. "Ah, monsieur Gavroche, how may I help you?" He smiled.

Gavroche beckoned for Marius to come closer. When he obliged, Gavroche whispered his plea in his ear. Marius frowned.

"My apologies, Gavroche, but I have not seen her recently." He said in a normal voice. Courfeyrac looked around.

"What's this about?" He asked both Gavroche and Marius.

"No one seems to be able to find Eponine." Marius told him, earning a quizzical look from Courfeyrac.

"_You _haven't seen her?" Courfeyrac asked incredulously. Marius shook his head. "Then that really is a problem."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Asked Marius defensively.

"Enjolras said that if anyone would have seen her, it would be Marius," remarked Gavroche. Courfeyrac nodded.

"Exactly."

Gavroche's upper lip trembled. "I'm worried about her."

Courfeyrac bent down, giving Gavroche a short hug. "Don't worry, mon ami."

Enjolras approached the small group, beckoning for Courfeyrac and Marius, leaving Gavroche out of the conversation.

"Gavroche says he saw Eponine return home after she fled last week."

"Really?" Asked Courfeyrac. Enjolras nodded grimly.

"He also says she did not meet a pleasant welcome when she arrived." He hoped they would catch his meaning. They did, even Marius, to Enjolras's pleasant surprise.

"Should we search for her?" Courfeyrac asked, frowning.

"I don't know." Enjolras turned to Gavroche, who had been trying to pry his way into their circle. "Gavroche, do you want us to help search for her?"

Gavroche hesitated. He already appreciated his acceptance into their close-knit group; he did not want to burden them. Then he nodded. "If it isn't too much trouble."

"She's your sister," consoled Courfeyrac. "We'll help you."

Courfeyrac, Marius, Enjolras, and Gavroche set out a few minutes later. They had had to ditch Grantaire at the door. The drunk had been trying to join them, rambling on about elephants.

"I'll take this street, Courfeyrac and Gavroche take that one," Enjolras pointed toward a darkened street across the square. "Marius, take the right." His leadership and charisma came in handy at times like these; he was used to people taking his orders. The rest of the group nodded and set out on their separate paths.

Marius felt like he had been wandering for hours. He distracted himself from the grime of the streets by thinking of the words of love he could sing to his precious Cosette. As he smiled to himself, he felt himself bump into a thin boy.

"Sorry," he was quick to say. The boy, who had a cap pulled down over his face, just nodded and made to keep walking. "Wait!" The boy stopped, and Marius ran up to him. "Have you seen a girl around here, around your height...dark hair?"

The boy looked up a little bit, but Marius still could not see his face. "No," he said, but his voice was much too deep for his size, it seemed to Marius.

Marius bent down a bit, trying to get a look at the boy's face. The boy's shoulders slumped, and then he took the hat off. A mess of dirty curls descended from the cap, and suddenly it was Eponine's large, dark eyes Marius was looking into. "Eponine!" He cried.

Eponine gave him a small smile. "Hello, monsieur Marius."

"Eponine!" He said again, wrapping his arms around her for a brief hug. He expected her to return it, but all she did was wince. "Eponine, are you alright?"

She removed her trench coat and Marius had to stifle a gasp. Large, hand-shaped marks covered her arms, along with several purple bruises. Her face also bore a large cut. She ignored the question. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for you!" He exclaimed. Eponine felt a burst of happiness inside her.

"You wanted to find me?" She smiled.

"Yes," he answered. "Gavroche was worried. Come with me, I'll lead you to him."

She hung back. "To Café Musain?"

"Well, yes, that is where we always meet," said Marius. Eponine responded with a shake of her head. She put her coat back on.

"I cannot come with you, monsieur. Please tell Gavroche that I'm alright and that I love him." She tried to leave, but Marius grabbed her arm to keep her from moving. She gasped in pain and Marius quickly released her.

"Sorry, Eponine! But you really should come back, you are very much missed."

This got her attention. No one ever missed her. "Who misses me?"

"I do, Gavroche does, Grantaire does," He smirked. "Maybe that last one is not a good reason for you to return."

She couldn't help but giggle, then remembered why she had resolved not to see them again. "I'm sorry, monsieur. I cannot face your friends again."

"Eponine, they told me what happened." Marius saw her face go pink. "They deeply regret if they made you feel uncomfortable." Marius had actually no recollection of anyone saying this, but he knew Gavroche would deeply appreciate it if Marius could return his sister to him.

"Uncomfortable? They made me _indecent_, and I'm from the streets. It's hard to make me feel indecent, monsieur Marius." She tried to control the anger in her voice. She was putting on a tough exterior, but on the inside she felt as bruised as her skin. She wrapped her coat even tighter around her body.

"Eponine, please," He reached for her arm again but recoiled at her glare. "I'm sorry." He was at a loss for words…Eponine had never defied him before. He was used to her going along with whatever he wanted.

She shook her head again. "Tell Gavroche I love him." She started to leave and he followed. "No, Marius," she said sharply. "No."

Then she heard quick footsteps running towards her and she looked around to see a small blonde child throw himself at her, jumping into her arms. "EPONINE!"

She bit her lip to hold in a cry of pain and quickly dropped her little brother. "Gavroche!"

More footsteps followed behind him. They belonged to Enjolras and Courfeyrac. Eponine felt her insides go both red hot and icy cold from a mixture of anger and embarrassment. "Gavroche, are you alright?" She asked her little brother, only focusing her eyes on him. He nodded quickly.

"'Ponine, I'm so glad we found you!" He wrapped his arms more gently around her neck. Eponine could feel him shivering in the cool spring air. She slid off her coat and wrapped it around his scrawny shoulders. She saw Courfeyrac's eyes bug out and he nudged Enjolras, gesturing towards her battered torso. She wanted to hit him.

"I'm glad to see you too, Gavroche." She stood up straight, not making eye contact with anyone. "I must go now, Papa demanded—"

"Eponine," She heard Enjolras's voice interrupt her and she felt her breath quicken. "You should return to the café with us now. You must be starving."

"I've starved before," she lobbed back venomously. "I am no one's charity case, monsieur."

"Please, 'Ponine?" Gavroche said. To Eponine's surprise, he looked on the verge of tears.

"Oh, Gavroche." She ruffled his hair affectionately.

"I mean it, Eponine. Please come with me." He tugged her hand. Enjolras was nodding.

She sighed. Marius and Courfeyrac were eyeing her as if she was a firecracker ready to explode. "Okay," she finally gave in. Gavroche gave a small jump of joy.

The five of them set off back towards the café, Eponine being sure to linger a little behind the boys. When they neared the café, Enjolras stopped, blocking her path. The rest continued into the building.

"What?" She said, stopping quickly so as not to bump into him.

"Eponine, I really should explain what happened last week—"

"You really should not."

He ignored her protests. "Courfeyrac and I were wrong to remain in the room while Joly treated your wounds. We merely wanted to be sure you would be okay, but I understand how you feel betrayed."

She could feel her resolve softening. Why did his words have such a comforting effect on her? She knew he was a great orator—she had been to his speeches and witnessed the rousing effect he had on others. "I might have overreacted." She mumbled.

He shook his head, to her surprise. "You reacted in a way that I should have foreseen. I assure you, mademoiselle, none of us thought any differently about you after that night."

Enjolras realized he was lying to himself. He had been concerned when he had carried her into his apartment, but he could not deny that the girl had a different effect on him than most women. He felt a little protective of her. Maybe it was because she was the first girl he had ever been able to engage in an intelligent conversation with. She was eager to learn and had interesting insights on his plans. When Joly had gently removed her clothes, he had found it hard to avert his eyes. He had also wanted to crush whoever had hurt her in such ways.

"Really?" Eponine gave a small smile, her large eyes crinkling. He saw her wince as she smiled and realized the purple mark on her face must have been throbbing. He quietly reached toward her face and took her chin in his hand. Eponine gazed at him with doubt in her eyes as he very lightly ran a cool finger over her injured cheek. Eponine, to his great surprise, did not pull away, she just stared at his hand. He quickly dropped it.

"Er—yes." He avoided her eyes. "We miss your company, too."

Eponine sighed. She could not deny herself any longer. She needed food and drink. She could feel herself wasting away. And, she thought darkly, medical treatment never hurt. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hide her battered body from his searching gaze. "Okay," She relented. He smiled and began to lead her into the café. "But only for Gavroche." She added, just to make sure he did not let her agreement go to his brain.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry for not updating in a week! Midterms are coming up and it's hard to find time but here it is! Oh and just a note: I've said before that besides the inclusion of some of Les Amis who are barely musical characters, this is mostly based on musical/movie interpretations. Again, Eponine is visually based on Samantha Barks, who is one of the most gorgeous people ever. I realize that Eponine in the book is not so pretty, but that is much less conducive to fanfiction. Also I never really established timeline so here it is: we know the rebellion takes place in June, but I need some time until that so right now this story is in like April. Yes, I realize that makes it weird because Marius and Cosette would actually have time to get to know each other. Deal with it :)

Eponine sat at the bar in Café Musain alone. It was her second day back hanging around Les Amis de l'ABC, and she still felt rather awkward. The sun was barely setting and the café was beginning to fill up with students and customers. Gavroche had not arrived yet, and so far none of Les Amis who were present, Grantaire, Courfeyrac, and Marius, had not approached her.

Eponine tapped her dirty fingernails on the tabletop, thinking. Her father had demanded she come home that night. Had he forgiven her? Was he going to punish her more? She had not been involved in any schemes for a week.

A voice broke into her thoughts. "Got something on your mind, Eponine?" Eponine turned around and smiled. Marius had taken a seat next to her.

"No, Monsieur Marius, I'm fine." She did not want to worry him with thoughts of her father hurting her. She saw how he and his friends looked in disgust and pity at her bruised skin and how he avoided eye contact to avoid having to look at the particularly ugly bruise on her cheek.

"That is wonderful. Would you care to join my friends and I?"

Eponine glanced over his shoulder at Courfeyrac and Grantaire. The former appeared to be lost in thought while the latter already lost in a bottle. She hesitated. "I still do not know if I am totally accepted here." She confessed, looking at her feet.

"Nonsense. Come!" He grabbed her arm and despite her bitterness, she could not resist the tingle she felt in her belly when his skin met hers. He led her to the table and brought a chair for her. She smiled as they sat and she tried to avoid eye contact with Grantaire, who she knew was sure to bring up the incident at Enjolras's apartment.

There was an awkward silence. Eponine finally broke it. Turning to Courfeyrac, she said, "Are you involved in Enjolras's revolution?"

Courfeyrac looked a little surprised to be addressed by the girl. "Yes, of course. We all are." He smiled. "Are you a sympathizer?"

Eponine shrugged her shoulders. "I am not sure yet."

"You are not sure? We are doing this primarily for the benefit of your class!" He said a little defiantly. He quickly shut up and calmed down, fearing he had upset her. "Sorry, mademoiselle."

Eponine did not even bristle. She knew he had not meant it in an offensive away, and it would have been foolish to deny that she was of a lower class. "There is no need to be sorry," she placated him. "I am merely not certain yet if I believe a violent insurrection is the right way to go about a social change."

"Robespierre did it! We killed the king." He said, rather proudly.

"And Robespierre was killed and we have another king," Eponine shot back. Courfeyrac looked a little taken aback. Was he taken aback at the fact that she had historical knowledge? _That _she found a little offensive.

"Well—"

"Arguing with ladies, Courfeyrac? And word on the street is that you're nice." The group looked up to see Enjolras smirking. Eponine did not know why she felt a prickle of excitement at seeing the handsome leader.

"Not a lady," Eponine quickly corrected, but she only earned a swift glare from Enjolras.

"Oh, you are most definitely a lady, dear Eponine." Grantaire strutted over, a bottle in his hand. "I'm afraid we all know the proof." He smiled goofily.

Eponine's cheeks flamed bright red and she looked at her ragged shoes, but saw Enjolras staring daggers at his friend out of the corner of her eye.

"There is no need to look upset, 'Ponine." Grantaire slurred. "Enjolras here will probably protect you from whatever inappropriate remarks I might make that I will not remember when I wake."

Eponine shut her eyes and wished to be back in her disgusting home. Even her father wasn't this embarrassing. She peeked one eye open. Enjolras still had a calm and collected look about him, which only embarrassed her more because now she looked like a fool. She looked up and tried to assume a haughty air.

"Anyone and everyone requires protection from an inebriated Grantaire," Enjolras announced to the group, earning whoops of laughter.

"I really do apologize if he is inappropriate." Eponine heard him mutter, and it was a moment before she realized he was talking directly to her.

"It's fine, monsieur, he's still a lot more respectful than many people where I'm from." She smiled. He sat down next to her.

"You are not from a very good place then, are you mademoiselle?"

She shook her head. "Not a very good place at all, I'm afraid."

Enjolras was silent for a moment and Eponine followed his gaze to a swollen bruise on her upper arm. She quickly drew her arms around herself, hiding her marks nonchalantly. Enjolras quickly shook his head. "I'm very sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Eponine sighed.

"We want to help you," said Enjolras. Eponine looked into his eyes questioningly.

"Who is the 'we' that you speak of?"

"Almost everyone you see here." He gestured around the room to his friends. "You have a sharp eye, Eponine, I do not doubt you've noticed that some of us aren't discreet when looking at the injuries you have suffered. Much like myself just now."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Believe me, it's been quite obvious."

"We are concerned for how you are treated when you're not in our company." The boy continued.

"That is very kind of you, monsieur." Eponine smiled. The other boys had left their table to make their way over to the bar, leaving them in solitude.

"And we want to help you."

Eponine looked at him incredulously. "I don't quite understand what you mean."

"Maybe it does not come as a surprise to you mademoiselle, but many of us are quite well off. We'd be quite willing to give you some money to help you live a better life."

Eponine could not stifle a shrieking laugh that drew multiple reactions from the room. "You're quite funny, monsieur Enjolras, maybe you should use your powers of public speaking to entertain as a comedian."

She continued laughing, but Enjolras just frowned. "I'm sorry that our generosity amuses you."

She stopped. "Wait a moment. You were being serious?"

"Of course! Good lord, Eponine, if the people in your daily life are such crooks that you cannot believe that someone is willing to help…" His voice trailed off as he looked at her.

"No—it's merely that—I—well—" She stuttered, not quite sure what to say. She feared she had offended him. "I'm sorry, monsieur, I should not have laughed. That was quite disrespectful."

"No harm done."

After the brief uncomfortable period that followed such an interaction, their conversation became more natural. Eponine could not help but compare her interesting and insightful discussions with Enjolras with the ones she shared with Marius. Those usually just involved helping him win the heart of another girl.

Eponine started to lose track of time. During a brief pause in conversation, she glanced out a window. It was a cool, clear night, and the stars were already bright in the sky. She had completely forgotten that her father had demanded her return. But if she was already late, what difference did another few hours make? The punishment would be the same either way.

Another half an hour, and despite Enjolras's lively speech, her eyes were beginning to droop. Most of the other students had gone home or wherever their search for a maiden had led them that night. Gavroche remained in the corner, munching on a piece of bread. Eponine heard herself mumble incoherently, and then her eyelids fell and she was asleep.

It took Enjolras several minutes to figure out that the girl across the table from him had fallen asleep. He had been in the middle of reciting passages of law books he hoped to utilize in a future speech to Les Amis. He stopped suddenly when he heard Eponine's deep breaths and looked down to see her head resting on her hand and her eyes closed.

Enjolras was almost dumbstruck. He had never been one to engage with women; Eponine, as his friends rightly teased, was the first girl he had ever been even somewhat eager to see.

"Is she asleep?" Gavroche was suddenly behind him.

"Uh…yeah." Enjolras said, looking at the boy. "Do you know what to do?"

"Did she mention anything about our father needing her to come home?"

Enjolras thought back. "I do not think so."

"Then let her sleep here and she can return home tomorrow."

"As much as it might seem like it, this café is not my home." Enjolras said. Gavroche grinned.

"You're here often enough to know the owners. Let her sleep on an armchair. There's only a few hours until dawn anyway."

"Is it that late?" Enjolras looked around worriedly. "Gavroche, I cannot leave her here on her own."

"You can't stay here with her?" Gavroche asked.

"This is not a good idea, Gavroche. Maybe we should wake her up and take her to your father now."

"Enjolras, please." The boy grabbed his arm. "'Ponine never sleeps well at her home, she looks so peaceful. Please just stay here with her for the night?"

Enjolras looked into the boy's large eyes, much like Eponine's. He sighed. "I do not like this plan."

"So you can do it?" Gavroche smiled. Enjolras shook his head wearily.

"Yes, I can do it. You owe me, Gavroche."

"I know I do."

A/N: I'm having a little bit of writer's block at the moment, so I'm really sorry if this chapter was extremely sub-par. I had the first few chapters planned in my head somewhat before starting but now I'm sorta lost again, so if anyone has any suggestions I'd be eternally grateful!

Also, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KIND REVIEWS. You have no idea how much my heart bursts with joy to see I even got a review, but to then have them be GOOD reviews? You guys melt my heart and I love you and you're all perfect.


	8. Chapter 8

_The girl's hair was a familiar shade of brown. It was wavy and shiny, and he knit his eyebrows, trying to place where he knew it from. The girl it belonged to was not completely visible to him yet. All he could see was her elegant silk dress and long, healthy tresses. He started to make his way closer to her, hoping to catch a glimpse of her face. Then she turned around. He gasped. _

_ The face was also startlingly familiar. It was heart shaped, but where he remembered it had been sunken it was now fleshed out. There were no blemishes, no unsightly injuries. The lips were full and painted red, and they were curved into a smile. Not a bitter, mocking smile; a smile that released genuine laughter. Then he saw her eyes. They were the same as he remembered them, yet also radically different. There were no tears lurking beneath the surface. There was no fear causing them to dart back and forth in anxiety. They seemed to laugh as well. The girl opened her mouth to speak—_

Enjolras awoke with a start. He rubbed his eyes, trying to remember what had just happened. As he began to comprehend the room around him, his eyes fell on the girl in the chair opposite. The girl from his dream…though she looked much different now.

Eponine was curled on a large armchair, her arms wrapped around her own body. The purple bruise on her face was starting to yellow. Enjolras could see her shivering slightly. The sun was just rising. Enjolras could have only been asleep for a few hours. After Gavroche had left, back to his home in the Elephant, Enjolras had gently lifted Eponine into his arms—for the second time, he remembered. He still thought she was unnaturally light. He had placed her in the chair and taken a seat a few feet away, facing her. He guessed he had fallen asleep while looking at her face.

_Her face_. He could not shake what he had seen in his sleep: Eponine, but not the Eponine across from him. He had seen what Eponine could have been. He had seen her clean, healthy, and, the biggest difference, happy. The silk clothes never mattered to him. He placed very little value on material goods. But her eyes had looked so different. They smiled along with her lips, and the weight of the world was finally off her shoulders.

Eponine stirred. Enjolras quickly removed a book from his bag and opened it to a random page. He was not expecting a kind reaction from the girl regardless of what he was doing, but he also could induce that she would be a little scared to wake up to find him staring at her. His eyes flickered back and forth from the book to Eponine. How did Marius not see _anything _in her? Well, Enjolras had not yet seen Cosette either. He was sure Cosette was beautiful, but there was something about Eponine that was so…._confusing._

He was not used to feeling this way about any female. While his friends chased the prettiest girls in the streets and sometimes bought a night with one for a few francs, he preferred to remain clear-headed. Love only confused men. Love had toppled empires before. There was no point to it when there were bigger things to be done. His revolution was one of those bigger things. Eponine, though, had captured his attention. Not from the start, only just recently. He did not think there could be anything but a meek and shallow street girl with an unfortunate infatuation for Marius Pontmercy. But it turned out that she was tougher than most of Les Amis combined. She certainly knew more about social class struggle than any of them. She knew what she was talking about and more importantly, she was not afraid to speak her opinions. And, maybe what impressed him most, she had kept her pride and dignity after being faced with so many injustices in her miserable life.

He turned quickly to his book again when he saw Eponine raise her head. She blinked slowly for a moment, and then bolted straight up in alarm.

"Good morning, mademoiselle." Said Enjolras, smiling. She turned around and noticed him, her eyes still bugged out.

"Monsieur Enjolras! What is going on?" She looked around. "Is this the café?"

He nodded. "Allow me to explain. You fell asleep here in the middle of our conversation last night. I was going to wake you up to take you home, but your brother suggested that we let you sleep here for the night."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I was not going to leave you alone, mademoiselle."

She shook her head, smiling. "I am very used to being alone, monsieur."

"Either way, you were safer here. Gavroche asked if it was required you return home last night, but you had not mentioned anything to me so I assumed you were free to spend the night as you wished."

Eponine suddenly felt her heart stop beating and her throat close up. She had forgotten to return home. She had not returned home. Her father might actually kill her.

Gathering up her coat, she started to leave the room.

"Eponine! Where are you going?" Enjolras stood up after her.

"I must go—it is very important." She said with her back turned to him. He thought he could hear a sob present behind the words.

"Wait, Eponine! What's so urgent?" He could see her trembling.

"I need to go home. I—I—I did not tell you last night but my father had told me to come home or—" She shuddered.

Enjolras remembered something Gavroche had said the night Eponine defended him in the street. "Eponine, was it your father who did that to you?" He pointed at her wounds.

She hesitated, which was all the answer Enjolras needed. "Eponine, you mustn't go back there!"

She laughed a derisive laugh. "I mustn't go back there? Whether or not I return, they will find me."

"Who are 'they'? Are you referring to the men that hurt you outside my apartment?"

She gulped, wondering if she was about to give away the secret of Patron-Minette and her true identity. "Y-yes," she stuttered out. "My father has dangerous friends, monsieur. It would not be wise to try and avoid them."

"Eponine, if it was your father that hurt you I am not going to let you walk back to him!"

She scowled. "You won't _let _me?"

He knew that his next words would anger her, yet he spoke them anyway. "No, I will not."

"How would returning to my father be any different from staying here with you, both of you tell me what to do!" She was trying her hardest to remain as calm as he looked, but she could feel herself falling to pieces. She was terrified of going home. Sometimes when she became Patron-Minette's punching bag it was unexpected, but it still hurt. Walking into the room knowing what was coming, though? She trembled again.

"I really hope you are not suggesting that your father and I are in any way similar."

"I need to leave." She avoided his accusation and started to flee. Her breath caught when she was suddenly stopped by Enjolras grabbing her arm. She nearly tripped into his arms.

"Eponine, I can't just let you walk into a dangerous place." He widened the space between them but kept a firm hold on her arm to prevent her from running.

"Everywhere I walk is dangerous." She retorted. "You do not know my life, monsieur, so please do not pretend to."

"I will not pretend to know your life," he promised. "But I will escort you home now."

Eponine was not sure whether to laugh or cry at the ridiculousness of his statement. "Your little revolution was not a good enough death wish, then? You wish to escort me home?"

He ignored the jab at his revolution. "Not only do I wish to, but I will not take no for an answer."

"You will have to take it then, I suppose. There is no way I'm going to risk _your _life as well as—" She quickly shut up. She had said too much.

"Risk my life? Are you risking your _life _at home?" Enjolras demanded.

"I'm used to not being in the right place at the right time." She mumbled.

"Then stay right here for now! We can find you a new lodging later, but you don't need to return home! This is the right place."

"You didn't hear me before, did you? If I don't come home, they will find me. And then I'll be in even worse shape. I've been here too long already, I must go." With a violent tug, she released herself from his grip.

"Eponine!" He threw up his hands in frustration and she quickly ducked, shielding her face with her arms. Enjolras froze. "Eponine."

He lowered his arms very slowly. "Eponine, I would _never _hit you."

She also lowered her defenses, rising back to her full height. "You raised your—"

"I know, I'm sorry. I should have known the effect that would have." He felt truly guilty. Of course she would assume an angry man in her presence would try to hurt her.

"You should have. I must be leaving." She did not glance back, but rushed out. She bumped into Grantaire on her way into the street.

Enjolras sat back down and tugged his hair angrily. He just knew that the next time he would see Eponine, her body would be bruised again and her clothes might be even more torn than usual.

"What happened here?" Enjolras looked up to see Grantaire in the doorway. It was early morning, one of the very few times of day when Grantaire was actually sober.

"Nothing."

"Did the noble Enjolras finally lose his virtue?" Grantaire smirked.

"Shut up, Grantaire." Enjolras muttered. "I don't know what to do."

"Well, usually you start with a kiss—"

"Grantaire!" Enjolras yelled. "She fell asleep in the café last night and I stayed to make sure she didn't get murdered or anything of that sort. It turns out she had orders to go back to her violent father's house last night and forgot and she just left and I _know _that she's at risk."

Grantaire, a little shocked, was silent for a moment. "What do you mean, at risk?"

"Her father and his friends are the ones that gave her all those injuries." Enjolras responded, still sitting.

"Oh." Said Grantaire. "Then go after her."

"I can't, she is already angry with me for trying to stop her."

"But she won't be angry with you if you save her life." Grantaire remarked, then he looked at his friend curiously. "All teasing aside, I have never seen you so concerned about a girl before, Enjolras."

"She's a human being, and she's in danger. It is only normal to be concerned." Enjolras replied, annoyed. He was confused about his feelings for Eponine already and did not feel like lying to his friend on top of that. But he could not tell Grantaire the truth, so he just wished that he would be quiet.

"So stop being concerned and _save her._" Grantaire pointed towards the door. "Go on."

Enjolras realized that Grantaire might be right. Damn it to hell if Eponine would be angry, an angry Eponine would be less painful to deal with than a broken and bloody one.

He left his things with Grantaire in the café and ran into the street. Eponine was swift and he was not expecting to see her outside the café. He ran down the block and froze when he heard a scream come from an alley and saw Eponine being torn away from the bustling streets.

A/N: Still looking for more ideas, so if you have any feel totally free to contribute! I really hope this chapter is good. On another note, people who read this, I had just about the worst week/weekend of my life. I felt really down. But opening my email to see reviews? Let's just say that that feeling saved me. Thank you so, so much, I can't tell you how much it means to me that people actually want to read stuff that I write. I love you all so much.


	9. Chapter 9

Eponine rushed through the street, both blessing and cursing the horde of people that stood in her way. She would have given anything to never go back to her father's house again—anything. At the same time, she knew things would be even worse if she did not show up this morning.

She did not bother apologizing to the middle aged woman that yelled at her for knocking over a basket. No one had ever apologized to her for anything. She didn't owe anything to anyone. _Except Enjolras. _A little voice nagged her in the back of her head. She stopped and leaned against a wall for a moment.

_No, you don't owe him anymore. You saved him from Patron-Minette. You don't owe anyone anything. _She reaffirmed.

_But…he's been trying to help you. He doesn't want you to have to deal with Marius._

_ Marius._

Eponine shook her head wildly, trying to clear her head. She had just realized she had not thought about Marius in a whole day. This was highly unusual. Her thoughts had instead been consumed by his admittedly better looking friend, the one with golden curls and grey-blue eyes. _Enjolras._

_But it's his fault you're in this situation. He didn't tell you to go home last night. _Her pessimism showed again. She knew that was a stupid argument. She had been too involved in their conversation to remember her father's orders.

A man pushing a cart bumped into her, sending her careening to the ground. The man walked off without a word as Eponine pulled herself up and checked her knees for more cuts. She realized she had been standing in place for several minutes then—more wasted time she could have spent thinking of her excuse that would no doubt have no effect on her father.

She continued on her way down the street, passing a dank alley. Just as she thought she heard her name being called from a distance, she felt a cold hand close around her elbow, and for the second time that morning she fell to the ground hard.

"Where have you been, 'Ponine?" A voice sneered. The hand grabbed her by the arm again and hoisted her to her feet. She recognized the voice and did not care for the face it belonged to.

"Leave me alone, Montparnasse." She pried his hand off her arm. She wasn't too nervous. She knew Montparnasse was a thief and occasional murderer, but the two had been friends in childhood and had once harbored friendly—maybe even more than friendly—feelings toward each other.

His hands wouldn't leave her alone; as she turned back to the street, he seized her hand and whirled her back against a wall of the alley. She felt her head hit the cold stone and lights popped in her eyes. In her dizziness, she could still feel his hands on her waist, squeezing her figure. She winced as he pressed a bruise. He noticed her flinch and laughed.

"Still sore, then? Was that the one that I gave you?" Over the fabric of her chemise, he pressed into the aching skin again.

"Go to hell, 'Parnasse." She muttered angrily. She tried to squirm out of his grasp. "I have to go back to my father."

"Ah, but you do not need to, Eponine." He smiled a disgusting smile. Eponine grimaced. She could not believe she had ever found the boy attractive at all. His sharp features were not enough to disguise the snake in his heart.

"Of course I do! I need to make up for last night." She tried not to tremble in fear of seeing her father's face.

"No, see Eponine, you _don't." _Montparnasse laughed.

"Tell me what you're talking about or I swear I will—" She raised her fist. Her sentence was cut off when the young man grabbed her wrist and twisted it. Her scream was stifled only by his hand, which he clamped over her mouth.

"Your father was _angry_, 'Ponine. I had never seen him so angry." He whispered in her ear as she pushed with all her might against his chest. "God knows what would have happened if you had gone home today. So I was nice. I gave him a better idea."

With one hand still secured around her mouth, his touch made its way down her torso to her waist. He grabbed a fistful of fabric and pulled. The fabric was old and wearing thin. It tore with ease. Eponine tried to scream.

"Come on, 'Ponine. I just saved you a world of misery." His fingers crept inside her chemise. "You should be thanking me. You always liked me more than the others."

She finally managed to ball her fists and punch him hard in the gut. He grimaced and dropped his hand from her mouth. With an extra hand, he wasted no time in grabbing the other side of her waist and tearing the fabric there, too. She screamed. She screamed louder than she had ever screamed.

"Shut up, Eponine!" Montparnasse yelled, landing a blow to her stomach. She doubled over and he hastily shoved her back against the wall and pressed his lips to hers. She pounded his chest with her small hands to no avail.

"_Eponine?"_

Eponine stopped shrieking. Montparnasse froze, not recognizing the voice from the mouth of the alleyway. He quickly drew a knife from his pocket and pressed the cold metal edge against Eponine's bare waist, giving her a warning look. He turned his head. "Who's there?"

Eponine looked around and made eye contact with the same pair of blue eyes she had been thinking about earlier.

"Eponine, what's going on?" Enjolras asked. He looked out of breath, like he'd been running.

"Who are you?" Montparnasse demanded. He drew the dull edge of his knife down Eponine's tensed torso.

"I am…a friend of Eponine's. Who are you?" His eyes darted back and forth from Montparnasse to Eponine. The latter had broken the eye contact and was looking in the opposite direction. He thought he could see her cheeks turning red.

"None of your business, rich boy." Montparnasse sneered. Eponine whimpered, and in response got a soft jab of the knife.

"Is this man hurting you, Eponine?" Enjolras asked, his tone becoming angrier. What might have looked like a young lovers' rendezvous looked far more sinister to him.

Montparnasse glared at Eponine and twirled the knife around his finger, reminding her to lie. "No, no, I'm fine monsieur." She squeaked out. She wanted to meet his eyes with her desperate ones. She wanted to scream.

Enjolras took a brave step forward. "Are you quite sure?" He took note of Eponine's twisted facial expression and torn chemise. She nodded quickly.

"Eponine is busy at the moment." Montparnasse jeered. Satisfied with Eponine's forced cooperation, he put his knife back in his pocket.

Eponine felt the cold metal vanish from her skin. She looked from Montparnasse, who still had a hold on her wrist, to Enjolras, who looked both confused and furious. Without taking another moment to calculate her options, she twisted her leg into his groin, yanked her wrist free, and nearly flew out of his grasp. She stumbled into Enjolras as Montparnasse, scowling in pain, picked himself up.

"You _will _pay for that, you hussy." He snarled.

Enjolras, finally firmly grasping the danger of the situation, grabbed Eponine by the shoulders. For one wild second, she thought he might force her back into Montparnasse's possession, but instead he swiftly pushed her behind him.

"Eponine will not _pay _for anything." Enjolras was quite a bit taller than Montparnasse, and if Eponine hadn't known he was defending her she would have been intimidated.

"Is this the pretty boy your mother's always going on about?" Montparnasse sneered at the shielded Eponine. "You're aiming too high, I'm afraid 'Ponine. You know your father has already made his deal with me." He looked at Enjolras. "And no one would believe you _wanted _a dirty thing like her."

"Get out." Enjolras's voice was low and threatening. "Do not speak to her."

Montparnasse laughed. "She'll see me later when she returns home, anyway." He smirked at Eponine. "You can rescue her now, but her father is going to be even less pleased than me when he finds out."

Eponine grabbed Enjolras's arm. "He is right, monsieur."

Enjolras ignored her. "Then she will not return home. Leave before you regret even looking at her."

Montparnasse shook his head, nearly howling with laughter. "I shall leave, only for the joy of the anticipation of watching her get what's coming to her later." Turning to leave down the alley, he laughed back in Enjolras's direction. "Don't wear her out too much, rich boy, she'll need some fight left in her tonight."

"You BASTARD." Eponine screamed, wanting to rush down and punch him in the face. He had already disappeared. Enjolras grabbed her arm, far gentler than Monparnasse had been.

"Eponine." His voice was soothing and her entire body was trembling.

Not sure what else to do, she turned around and threw her arms around his neck, finally releasing the sob that had been building in her chest. Startled, Enjolras hesitantly returned her embrace. He wound his arms around her waist, feeling the ripped fabric and frayed threads there. He could feel Eponine's tears absorbed into his shirt.

She pulled away first, wiping her tears on her hand. "My apologies, monsieur Enjolras." She murmured. "I did not mean soil your shirt." She rubbed the wet cloth near his shoulder. He took her hand.

"Eponine, are you okay?"

She gulped and nodded, but a hitch in her breath gave her away her anguish.

"Eponine, has this happened before?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly, monsieur. I have known that boy a long time but he has never been _that _forward."

Enjolras looked around, realizing they were still meters away from the relative safety of the crowded street. "Come." He pulled her towards the light.

Emerging back into the hustle and bustle of the Parisian street, Eponine broke down in tears again.

"Enjolras!" A voice called from a little ways away. The pair looked up to see Marius Pontmercy rushing towards them. He stopped short about a meter away. "Eponine?" He seemed justifiably confused to see Eponine with Enjolras in such a state as she was in.

She brushed away a few tears. "Hello, Monsieur Marius." She tried to smile but it almost hurt.

Marius looked from the scowling Enjolras to the distraught Eponine. He closed the distance between them and took a hold of Eponine's hand. "Are you alright?"

Eponine's smile became more genuine and she nodded, just enjoying the feel of his skin on hers.

Enjolras's scowl deepened at her obvious joy. _He is a fool. She is a fool. _He thought angrily. "What are you doing here?" He shot at Marius, perhaps a little more aggressively than he should have.

"I was on my way to the café," said Marius innocently. He looked at Eponine, who was trying to wipe away the last remnants of her sobs. "Would you care to accompany me, Eponine?"

Eponine glanced at Enjolras, who for his part was glaring at an unknown object in the distance. "I would very much like that." She smiled at the opportunity to spent time with her love. She would figure out her situation with her sleeping arrangements later. It was only early in the day.

"Excellent!" Marius looked at Enjolras. "I'll see you later, then?"

Enjolras nodded curtly. He could not decipher who it was he was angrier at: Marius or Eponine. He glared at the two of them as they left back down the street, Eponine clinging to his arm and grinning. He felt a stab of…jealousy, was it? He was not used to emotions brought on by affection. His only passion was for justice and his country. But Eponine was slowly changing that.

A/N: SORRY it's kind of short! I really wanted to update before school started this week! And I know Eponine at the end of this chapter might get some bashing but guys, let's remember that she is/was _obsessed _with Marius. She's not quite over that yet. Anyways, reviews are loved/appreciated! I love you all!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Just a warning, this chapter contains a lot of my headcanon, so I apologize of not all the facts are straight.

Night was falling. Eponine glanced out the window, shivering.

"Are you cold?" Marius, seated next to her, asked.

"No," she admitted, trying to stay still. She was becoming more and more terrified by the minute. She knew Montparnasse didn't joke around with violence, so if he told her she was going to get hurt tonight, she believed she would get hurt.

"Are you alright, Eponine? You've been quite shaken today." A look of concern flashed across his eyes and Eponine smiled inwardly at the thought that he was concerned for her.

"I'm fine," she placated him. Even if he could tell by her remaining bruises that she was not safe wherever she went, she did not want him knowing about the frequency of the abuse.

"What were you doing with Enjolras this morning?" He wondered.

She bit her lip. "What?"

"When I found you this morning, you looked startled then as well, Enjolras seemed to be helping you." His brow furrowed.

"Oh, well…I ran into an old childhood friend who is…no longer my friend." She stammered out, hoping he would drop the subject.

"And Enjolras scared him off?" A smile curled the corners of Marius's lips.

"Sort of, yes." Eponine admitted, blushing.

Marius nodded. "That was nice of him, then."

Eponine nodded back, then looked around the café. She had spent the majority of the day there, and Marius had joined her in between his classes. But Enjolras had never showed up with any of the other students. "Yes, it was." She decided not to ask of his whereabouts.

Marius looked out the window. "You should probably be going home soon, shouldn't you?"

Eponine didn't have to look outside again to know that the sky was dark. She gulped. "Yes, I should." She stood up, hesitating. She had mixed feelings on whether or not she wanted him to stop her. He didn't.

"You could sleep here again, Eponine." Grantaire's voice called from the bar. Marius and Eponine looked to him.

"What are you talking about?" Marius asked.

Grantaire shrugged. "Eponine and Enjolras slept in the café last night. I'm sure they could do it again." He smiled wickedly.

Marius looked at Eponine in confusion. "What is he going on about?"

Eponine tried to control her flushing cheeks. "I fell asleep here last night and _Gavroche _told Enjolras not to wake me up so I slept the entire night here and Enjolras stayed to watch over me." She wanted the story to sound as un-incriminating as possible.

"Oh," said Marius. He still looked a little lost.

"Why don't you stay again, Eponine?" Grantaire teased.

Eponine shook her head violently. "No, monsieur. I must be going." She walked quickly to the door. She looked back for a moment at the safe, warm interior of the café.

"Wait, 'Ponine," Marius called, walking after her. She paused in the doorway for him. "Have a good night." He smiled, then turned away. Her heart fell in disappointment, and she left the café.

She could feel the chill in the air the moment she stepped outside, but it was nothing compared to the cold fear gripping her insides. She almost wished to be attacked in the dark Paris streets before returning home, just to avoid her father. She wished for a shawl, or anything to wrap herself in to both keep warm and disguise herself, but she had nothing but the rags on her back. There were still two holes at the sides of her chemise, where Montparnasse had torn.

In her distraction, she tripped over a loose stone in the ground, hitting the ground hard. She winced as she felt pain in her elbows and knees and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain to go away. When she opened them a minute later, she saw a pair of well-made shoes in front of her. She scrambled upwards in alarm, ignoring the stinging pain and keeping her eyes cast downward. "Excuse me, monsieur." She hastened to get out of the way.

"Eponine?" The man said. She looked up.

Enjolras was frowning at her. She bit her lip. "Oh, hello monsieur."

"Are you alright?"

Eponine was becoming quite frustrated with the amount of times she was asked this question; even more so with the lie she always had to tell in response. "I'm _splendid._" She said sarcastically.

"Yes, I presumed as much." He said back, smirking. There was an awkward pause, then Enjolras cleared this throat and gestured to a bench. "Sit with me for a moment?"

She hesitated. She needed to be home, but…"Okay."

They sat together on a bench in silence, then Enjolras asked quietly, "Why Marius?"

Eponine wasn't all too surprised by the question, but she still was not sure what to say. "What do you mean?" She stalled.

"You're not stupid, Eponine. I think you know what I mean." He said. She couldn't quite make out his tone, and when she glanced at his face she saw traces of anger.

"That's right, I'm not stupid." She said slowly, trying to figure out her answer. "But I don't know if I can tell you."

"I think you can." Enjolras looked at her as she looked down again. The moon was out and shining down on them, and images from his dream flashed before his eyes and he imagined the girl in front of him with fleshed-out cheeks and sparkling eyes. When Eponine spoke again, the image was gone and she was once again dirty, with sunken cheeks.

"I met him a few years ago, when I didn't know Paris as well as I do now. I was scared. I grew up very nicely, you see—I had a great childhood. But then things happened, and I ended up here with nothing. I was mostly alone. And then I met Marius, and he was the first person to show me any kindness in this city, and I've been holding onto that ever since." She spoke slowly as to control her voice and keep any tears from spilling out. She saw Enjolras nod out of the corner of her eye.

"But he has Cosette now." He pointed out.

She let out a mirthless laugh. "Yes, and now he has her. Cosette, of _all people._"

Enjolras looked confused. "What?"

"I have known Cosette since I was a child. You remember how I said I had a great childhood? That was because Cosette was like a servant to my family, and I never had to lift a finger. So it's all too fitting that it is _she _that Marius falls in love with." She couldn't help the single tear that slipped down her cheek.

"Eponine." Enjolras looked at her closely. "Eponine, it is okay."

She hastily wiped away the tear. "Yes, I know it is. I'm a foolish girl who never should expect romance."

"Don't say that." Enjolras felt a stab of pity. He did not know how to tell the girl that his feelings for her were growing, and he no longer saw her as Marius's shadow or a filthy street girl. He saw her beauty underneath the dirt on her skin and when she smiled he knew something was right.

"Why shouldn't I say that? It's only the truth." More tears started to fall and she did not even bother to conceal them from the handsome boy next to her. She already had no modesty with him and whatever affection she might feel for him, she knew she never had a chance, just like with Marius.

"No, Eponine, I don't think it is the truth." There was a tremble in his voice that she had never heard before. She opened her mouth to respond.

"EPONINE." A voice boomed from several meters away. Eponine froze and Enjolras looked around wildly. Three men were approaching, and it was the first man, the man in front, that had spoken. Eponine began taking deep breaths. Enjolras grabbed her hands.

"Eponine, what's going—"

"We found the hussy!" One of the other men grunted loudly. Eponine shut her eyes. She felt a large hand close around her hair and as she was yanked to her feet, she tried not to squeal in pain.

"Obedience was never your strong suit." She heard a voice growl in her ear and she recognized it as Thenardier's. "When were you planning to come home, Eponine?"

"Tonight, I was just on my way…" She whimpered as he yanked her hair again.

"Eponine!" She heard another voice yell, and she realized that Enjolras had not run away when her father approached. _That stupid boy._

"Go away!" She screamed at Enjolras. He did not need to be here, he was pointless. He would only get hurt.

"You were on your way?" Thenardier sneered. "You move slower than the dead then, Eponine." Eponine was breathing quickly.

"Leave her alone!" Enjolras's voice rang out again. Eponine squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see Enjolras hurt. She heard laughter all around her at Enjolras's words.

"This is him," Eponine heard Montparnasse mutter to her father, and she guessed Montparnasse had recounted the morning's events to him prior. She also guessed her father had nodded or given him another positive signal, because all of a sudden she was thrown violently into Montparnasse's arms.

"Why you protecting 'Ponine?" Her father jeered at Enjolras. Eponine opened her eyes slightly. Enjolras stood surrounded by the three criminals, but he did not cringe. He was at his full height and looked almost regal.

"Because she _needs _protection from mongrels like you."

More laughter.

"Please leave, Enjolras." She whimpered. One of Montparnasse's arms was wrapped around her waist, holding her back, and the other hand was at her neck. Montparnasse chuckled.

"No, Eponine." Enjolras looked directly into her eyes. Eponine tried to struggle against Montparnasse's grip but failed.

"Why do control her so?" Enjolras said to Thenardier. "It's obvious you do not care for her as a father should care for his daughter. If all you do is hurt her, why keep her?"

Eponine's mouth fell open. Was he trying to leave her homeless?

"She brings in money," her father answered. "And it is none of your business how we use her."

"I think it is my business," said Enjolras. "It is not right to abuse her as you do."

Eponine was still on shock that Enjolras remained untouched. Montparnasse's wandering hands were making her squirm.

"And it's not right for an insolent child to tell me what is right or not." Thenardier growled.

Eponine tried to fight her way out again. She dug her dirty nails into Montparnasse's skin and writhed violently. All she got was a yank of her hair and a slap to the face. Enjolras looked on in horror.

"What would it take for you to release her?" Enjolras called.

"I do not feel like releasing her." Montparnasse laughed and squeezed Eponine's bum. She jumped.

"Not you!" Enjolras yelled. He turned to Thenardier. "_How much money_ would it take for you to release her from your house?" He rephrased the question.

Thenardier laughed, before he realized that Enjolras was being serious. "What _do _you want with her, boy?"

Enjolras took money out of his bag. "I want for her to never have to suffer at her own father's hands again. 1000 francs."

Thenardier did a double take and Montparnasse gaped. "What are you offering?!"

"1000 francs," Enjolras repeated. "And you never lay a hand on her again."

"Enjolras, they're my _home._" Eponine screamed.

Enjolras held up a hand to stop her protestations. He could tell Thenardier was interested in his offer. "Do we have a deal, sir?"

Eponine felt Montparnasse's arm tighten around her waist and she choked.

"You give me the money, and you take 'Ponine with you?" Thenardier asked, eyeing the money in Enjolras's hand.

"And she never has to see you again if she does not want to." Enjolras nodded.

Thenardier looked back and forth from the money to his struggling daughter, then narrowed his eyes and approached Eponine. He motioned for Montparnasse to release her, but before Eponine could make a break for it, he grabbed her chin and brought her face close. "Did you plan this, you brat? What have you promised this bourgeois? Your virtue, perhaps?"

Eponine shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "No, papa, I did not plan anything." She met his eyes.

He kept a firm grip on her arm as he turned back to Enjolras. "For 1000 francs, she's yours."

Eponine shook her head at Enjolras when he looked at her, trying to convey her emotions without words. _Do not waste your money on me._

Enjolras nodded at Thenardier and came closer, taking a hold of Eponine's hand with his free one. He handed the cash to Thenardier and Eponine's father released her. Weary, Eponine stumbled into Enjolras's arms.

"C'mon." Her father cocked his head and the men followed him. Eponine watched as her father exited the street, and, possibly, her life.

Eponine and Enjolras were both breathing heavily and she leaned against his chest. She sobbed for a few minutes and he held her gently. When she quieted down, she stepped away from him.

"Did you just buy me?"

Enjolras laughed. "I think so, yes."

She paused. "What now, then?"

"Come with me."

A/N: Guys I'm so sorry it took me a while to update, I had midterms this past week and they were crazy stressful and I had zero time to write. THANK YOU for all the reviews though, it was the best feeling in the world to check my email between tests and see reviews. I think the feeling I got from that kept me sane. So I love you all, and hope this chapter was satisfactory!

XOXO, Love always,

Lana


	11. Chapter 11

"Where are we going?" Eponine asked as he led her through the streets of Paris.

"To my home." He answered without looking at her. Eponine stopped in her tracks and it was a moment before Enjolras realized her footsteps behind him had stopped.

"Monsieur Enjolras, no." She shook her head.

"What are you refusing?" He asked, confused.

"I—I cannot—I do not—" She stammered, not exactly sure of her protestations either. She was uncertain of what his motives had been in paying her father.

"Eponine," he stepped closer to her, "I'm not sure what has just happened, but I do think I know that you are safe. And I'm not going to risk that safety by sending you out on the streets."

She bit her lip. "Wait. Before you take me…anywhere, there is something I need to tell you." She took a deep breath and closed the remaining space between them, so she was practically looking up at him.

"What could that be?" He asked, taking the smallest of steps backward, a little intimidated.

"I lied to you," she said boldly.

"You…what?" His eyebrows smashed together as he took in her words.

"My last name…is not Jondrette." She did not cast her eyes aside and she made sure he looked her in the face as she told him the truth. She owed him too much to ever lie to him again. "My name is Eponine Thenardier."

"Thenardier…" Enjolras muttered the name before recognition occurred. He stumbled a little. "Thenardier, like the criminal, the thief?"

She nodded. Enjolras gulped.

"I just made a monetary deal with _Thenardier?"_

She bit her lip again, trying to contain a giggle. "I'm afraid so."

Enjolras stood frozen for a minute.

"To be fair, I _did _tell you to leave. Several times." She reminded him, recalling how she had screamed when Patron-Minette had approached.

He nodded slowly. "Yes, you did…" His voice trailed off. Eponine's giggle was long gone, and she was starting to worry about the man in front of her whose emotions she could not read.

He started walking again. Eponine lingered on the street, not sure if he was trying to get away from her. Again, he realized that she was not following, and turned back.

"What are you waiting for?" He called.

She ran back to his side and they began walking in silence. After a few moments, she looked up his face and was disappointed to find that she still could not tell what he was thinking.

"I will pay you back, monsieur." She told him quietly as they arrived at his apartment and he unlocked the door. Eponine grimaced at the thought of the last time she had been standing outside his home, and a tingle in one of the remaining bruises from that night did not help her forget.

"What?" He had not heard her. He led her inside and lit some lamps.

"I said…I will pay you back." She hung her head. She could not shake the guilty feeling that his payment had given her. Looking around, she found a chair and she quickly sat, trying to rid her legs of their jelly-like wobbliness that her discomfort gave her.

"There is no need." He smiled reassuringly and pulled another chair close to hers and sat down.

She stared at him, incredulous. "There _is _need." She tried to keep her voice down, but she was angry. "There is very much so a _need._ Monsieur, you just paid—"

He cut her off. "I know what I did, Eponine." His face became stony. "You need not remind me."

Her eyes widened. "Are you already so upset at what you did?" Her lip trembled as her shame grew. Enjolras noted her expression and sighed.

"I am not upset at you, Eponine, if that is what you are thinking." He reassured her, but her expression did not change. "I am just hoping that the deal holds up and you remain unharmed."

She paused, not sure what to respond. She was not used to being defended, or protected, or cared about. She did not know how to react, and the end result was another stutter. "I—um, you—" She shook her head, trying to clear it. "I am still not going to disregard this. I must find a way to repay you."

He took her cold hands in his. "Eponine, I will not demand any payment from you."

"I can sleep with you." She muttered, almost inaudible.

"What?"

"I know the reason men want to pay women to come home with them," Her voice was still almost indistinct and she did not meet his gaze. "You cannot be so mighty that you would not think of such a thing."

"I assure you, mademoiselle, that was not my intention of bringing you here." He said quite firmly. A worry passed through his mind: How many times had the girl had to fight off unwanted advances?

"Then you must think of something. I will _not _be your charity case." She tore her hands out of his grasp, her voice rising angrily.

"You're not charity, Eponine, I—"

"You what?"

"I…" He realized he did not have any other explanation for his kindness other than the fact that he might be falling in love with her, and he was not ready to tell her this yet. "I will think of something." He promised. "I will."

She relaxed slightly. "Please do, I do not want to feel pitiful." Her breath was coming out in short bursts, a result of her stress.

He nodded and stood up. "Would you like some food?"

She hesitated and he fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Do not try to deny that you receive less than an acceptable amount of food a day," he told her. "When I can see your ribs, I know you are lying."

"Then yes, I suppose I would like some food." She gave in. "And you've seen more than just my ribs." She muttered afterward, but he did not hear her.

Soon after, he brought her a plate of bread and cheese. She hastily dug in, ignoring proper etiquette rules. After a few bites, she paused and looked at him. He had a small smile on his face as he watched her eat, and she blushed. She offered the plate to him. "Would you like some?" She wished he would join her in eating, so it would feel like a shared meal and she would not feel like a stray animal someone had thrown crumbs to.

He took a very small bite of bread and she breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Why did you lie about your name?" He asked her as she continued eating.

"Think back to your reaction at the name 'Thenardier'. If I had told you that when we met, would you even have wanted me in the café?" She shook her head.

"Yes, I would have. I was just a little startled…given the circumstances…" His protests did not appease her.

"I lied about my name because I wish it wasn't my name." She finished chewing the last piece of bread. "And now, maybe it's not." She still could not believe that she might never have to feel her father's fists on her flesh again.

Enjolras sighed. He still felt anger when he laid eyes on her bare arms and the bruises, both new and old, that covered them. He could make out a handprint above her elbow—he guessed it was Montparnasse's. He felt a stab of rage that such a bastard had thought he could manhandle her. Eponine was looking down, he noticed, and fumbling with her threadbare skirt. He cleared his throat.

"Are you tired?"

She looked up. "A—a little, I guess."

He nodded. "Where would you like to sleep?" He gestured around the small, three room apartment. She faltered.

"The floor is fine, monsieur."

His eyes narrowed. He could not tell if she was joking or not. "Don't be ridiculous. Will the sofa do?"

She nodded quickly, not wanting to seem ungrateful.

"Very well. Would you like to change into some night clothes?"

She opened her mouth, not sure how to tell him that the clothes on her back were everything she owned at the moment. "If I had any, I probably would like to, but alas…" She gave him a sad smile and he felt foolish.

"Right, of course. Well…I will make sure to find a way to get you cleaned up tomorrow, but we should sleep now." He ducked his head awkwardly. She tried to hold back a laugh.

"Of course."

"My bedroom is right there." He gestured toward a door to her right. "If you need…anything."

She nodded again. "I will not be bothering you, Enjolras." She paused for a moment, then walked quickly toward him and wrapped him in an embrace. Her small arms rested on his back and her head on his chest and to her surprise, he gave her a quick kiss to the top of her head. "Goodnight, monsieur."

"Goodnight, mademoiselle."

An hour later, Enjolras was still awake in his room, reading, and Eponine was fast asleep on the sofa, dreaming.

_She laughed as her papa twirled her around in his arms as he danced among the tables in the tavern. She loved being his little girl. She was older than Azelma and could understand most of what he told her. She would join him as he screwed customers out of sous, and she would giggle, thinking how it was their special game. Just her and her papa._

"_Come on, Eponine." Thenardier said as he set her down on the ground. "I have a present for you." She clapped excitedly as he drew out a rich blue hat and placed it on her head. "My daughter must be the most beautiful girl in town." She threw her arms around him, giggling happily._

"_I love you, Papa."_

"_I love you too, Eponine!"_

_Then the vision changed. She lost track of where she was for a moment. The world felt smoky and dark. When it cleared, the first thing she saw was a set of rotten teeth close to her face. _

"_What have I told you, Eponine? You worthless brat." Her father threw her to the ground and tears sprang to her eyes. "You know your mother and I have no expectations for you. You can't do anything right."_

"_I'm sorry, Papa, please, no!" Her father had never hit her before. She was only thirteen, and she had only failed to steal enough coins that day only. She screamed as his foot made contact with her stomach and she curled up on the ground, crying. _

"_You'll do better next time, won't you, 'Ponine?"_

"_Yes, Papa, I promise!" She continued crying as he lifted her by the collar back to her feet, only to land a punch to her face._

"_You damn well promise." He spat at her feet._

_Tears blurred her vision, and the world was smoky again. When her sight returned, she was stumbling in an alley, her father close behind her. She already knew what was coming as she felt a belt smack her back and she resisted the urge to cry. As her father whipped her for some 'injustice' she had committed without meaning to, she saw a scantily clad woman peering out from behind a wall. Her father noticed the woman too._

"_You're gonna be one of her soon, Eponine. You'll see. You're not good for anything right now and soon you'll have no other choice. You little hussy."_

_Her father stalked away, leaving her on the cold ground. Through her tears, she saw a discarded piece of cloth next to her and picked it up. It was a shade of dark blue. The memory passed before her eyes again._

"_My daughter must be the most beautiful girl in town."_

"Eponine? EPONINE." A loud, male voice was ringing in her ears.

"Papa! Papa, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She sobbed, her eyes still shut as she re-experienced her father's embrace and love.

"Eponine! Eponine, wake up!"

She screamed as in her dream, the embrace turned to abuse again.

Soon she felt hands tapping her face urgently, and she sat bolt upright. Tears covered her face and she was breathing heavily.

"Eponine!" Her eyes were slowly clearing, and at first all she saw was darkness. She did not immediately recognize where she was, but soon Enjolras's face came into focus, just a few centimeters from her own.

She tried to control her breaths, but a sob still escaped. "He's gone." She gasped out.

"Who is?"

"My papa." She started crying more. "And I'm ugly, and I'm not worth anything, and soon I'll be—"

"Shh." Enjolras murmured. He kneeled by the sofa where she sat. His hand hesitantly went to her back and he rubbed small circles. He felt a little panicked. He did not know how to comfort an emotional woman. Eponine buried her face in her hands. "Eponine, it was a dream. You're safe now. I won't put you in danger."

Her hands slowly fell away from her face. Her tears had stopped flowing, but their tracks still remained in the grime in her face. He continued.

"You are worth something. You're the brightest girl I know." The girl he was consoling took a big gulp as she gazed at his hands.

"And Eponine…you're beautiful."

She finally met his eyes, speechless. No one had told her that since her father, when she was very little, and Montparnasse, but only in a cruel, mocking way.

"You're beautiful." He repeated, and he felt a surge of bravery and recklessness as her large brown eyes widened. He took her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers.

A/N: Ah, isn't this a cruel chapter ending? I hope you all enjoyed this update! As always, reviews make my day 10000x better, I seriously cannot find the right words to express my joy at the feeling I get when I'm stuck in class and I see a review pop up. It's indescribable and I love each and every person who reviews, or just reads this story. I'm still amazed by how many people seem to like it! I'm still not sure _exactly _where I'm taking this story, so if you have anything you'd like to see happen, feel free to let me know! I love talking to you!

XOXO, Love always.


	12. Chapter 12

Eponine had been shaking in both fear from her nightmare and from exposing her vulnerability. She was used to crying in dingy alleyways and receiving a kick from a stumbling drunk. She was not used to hospitality or concern. She had tearstains down her face and was still trembling from the pain her memories had caused.

"_You're not good for anything."_ Her father's voice had rang in her ear. She had no reason to doubt the statement. No one had loved her for years, except maybe Gavroche.

"You're beautiful," she had heard Enjolras say. She was speechless. She gazed into his clear eyes, mesmerized by his handsome face and earnest look. "You're beautiful."

Then she felt his hand at the back of her neck, and then his lips were on hers. She stiffened, still not sure what was happening. His lips were cold but soft and she couldn't help the explosion of happiness that occurred in her heart. Before she could reciprocate the kiss, though, he had broken it.

There was a moment of silence.

"I'm sorry, mademoiselle." Enjolras said in response to her stunned expression. She wanted to fling her arms around him but he had already turned away. He still knelt by her side and she stared at him in awe. Had it been just moments before she was crying for her past? It already seemed like years.

"Don't be." She repositioned herself so her feet hung over the side of the sofa beside him. He finally looked back up at her. He looked utterly remorseful and she felt a stab of fear for why he looked so sorry.

"I—I should not have—I only meant to comfort you…"

She took his hand so he would sit beside her and he obliged, but looked away again.

"Is it late?" She asked him. He nodded.

"I was awake, reading, and I heard you wail. I did not know what was happening, and when I saw you, you were crying."

She looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For…" She was not sure either. She wanted to apologize for almost everything she had ever done. She had lied to him, cost him money, now she was disturbing the peace of his home. But he had _kissed _her, she remembered. She cast a surreptitious glance at his face. He _was _better looking than Marius, she had to admit to herself. And he had rescued her from danger several times now. She had even seen him stand up for her in front of Marius, who continued to not see her love for him. Did Enjolras see something in her other than a poor, unfortunate soul?

"I do not know," she admitted honestly. "I'm just sorry."

"Don't be." He repeated her earlier response. Eponine felt a surge of affection and grabbed his hand again, but more gently. She just wanted to feel him close, and when he looked to her again, she closed the space between them by capturing his lips in hers. He was startled, but quickly took a hold of her neck again and returned to what he had been doing the first time. Eponine pulled away after a few moments, though, breathless.

"What am I doing?" She hid her face in her hands, the face that was still sticky with tears.

Enjolras was silent for a few seconds, then, "I rather liked what you were doing."

She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips, but she kept her face hidden even though her shoulders were shaking. Enjolras laughed, glad that she had not been offended.

"I don't know what to think," Eponine breathed out. "I did not think you were…um…affectionate."

Enjolras coughed. He did not know what to say to that. It was true that to his friends, he was a "marble statue", their courageous leader who rebuffed schoolgirls' advances and was focused on revolution. He did not yet know how to tell Eponine that he had been so distracted by her lately, that he loved talking to her and that he enjoyed her company and that he never, ever wanted to see her hurt again.

His silence made Eponine paranoid, and soon a thought was crossing her mind, a thought that would take all happiness out of the situation. _I had offered to sleep with him._

"You were just taking me up on my offer, weren't you?" She said quietly. The words echoed in her head and consumed her mind. She quickly let go of Enjolras's hand and started wringing her own. It made sense now.

"What offer?" He looked legitimately confused.

"How I said I might repay you since I have no money," she said with venom. She could not make eye contact with this man…a man who moments earlier she had thought she might be falling for.

He thought for a moment and frowned deeply when the memory stirred. "No, Eponine, no. I promise you, that is not why—"

"I don't believe you." She did not want to hear him protest.

"Eponine!" He gently touched underneath his chin with his knuckle and brought her face nearer. "I am true to my word. You had the nerve to tell me you were _ugly._ I know that is not true, and you needed and deserved to hear it."

"Why would you _pay _for me?" She spat angrily. Last night's feeling of shame was returning to claw her insides. "I am forever in your debt, all because you could not handle seeing a few scars."

Enjolras shook his head at this ridiculous rambling. _This is why you don't become close with women, _he could not help thinking. He did not know what else to tell her at this point.

"It is understandable why you would think you could try to seduce me. I did offer." She continued. "And I do owe you." She bowed her head. "So I guess I should not be surprised." She felt cold—and not only from the chill in the air. She wished she was not so insecure that the slightest affection could make her believe that someone cared about her.

Enjolras stood up, not looking at her. "I will only tell you this once more: It was not my intention in bringing you here to bed you. I apologize for kissing you, mademoiselle. I implore you to remain here for the night, at least, for your safety. Good night." With that, he exited the room.

Eponine curled on the sofa again, thinking. She wanted to believe him, she wanted his words to be honest more than anything. She had kissed him back, she had liked the feeling and she had to admit that he seemed an all-around better person than Marius, her love.

_Her love._

Eponine felt disgusted with herself. Why did she love Marius so much, if all he did was cast her aside? Why did she continue to pray that he would open his eyes and see her in a new light? If he hadn't by now, what was the point? He hadn't been able to see her when it was only her there, now he had Cosette. And she could never compete with Cosette.

She waited up, awake, for several hours. She was lost in her thoughts. She used to live in daydreams as she walked the streets at night, but now, safe in Enjolras's home, her thoughts turned dark. The longer she thought, the more her hatred for herself grew. First, she had enjoyed Enjolras's kiss, then she had returned it, then she had essentially told him she hated him, and now she regretted it and wanted to apologize. She could not make up her mind and she felt like she was drowning. It took a while for her to realize that tears were streaming down her face again and she wiped them away. Outside, the sky was pitch dark and her eyes strained against tiredness. She tried to lie down and sleep, but could not.

She eyed the door to Enjolras's bedroom. She needed to apologize for pushing him away when all he had shown her was kindness. And affection. She was trying to come to grips with the fact that if he had not been lying—if he had not brought here there for the purpose of getting her into his bed—then he might have feelings for her as well.

She tiptoed to the bedroom door and snuck in quietly. Enjolras was asleep on the bed, his blond curls messy and a book next to his pillow. She had originally intended to wake him to apologize, but she could not bring herself to do it. He looked so peaceful. The bed was wide, so she lay down next to him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. He did not wake, and she was glad. She lay her head down, and in just a few minutes had fallen asleep by his side.

The next morning, Enjolras was awakened by loud, insistent knocking on the front door.

"Enjolras!" He heard Courfeyrac's voice calling. He groaned. What was so urgent? Without even looking around, he made his way to the next room.

"What is it?" He opened the door to Courfeyrac and Grantaire, irritated already. They ignored his less-than-sunny disposition and made themselves welcome.

"General LeMarque has fallen ill." Courfeyrac told him gravely.

"Ill?" Enjolras frowned. "How ill?"

"They do not think he will last the next two weeks."

Enjolras felt a jolt of both sadness and exhilaration. LeMarque, the people's man, might expire soon. The time had finally come for Les Amis to take action…the action that he had planned. Meanwhile, Grantaire was wandering about the apartment.

"Enjolras," Grantaire called from the bedroom doorway. Enjolras and Courfeyrac looked his way. "Pray tell who the young maiden you have brought to bed is." His dark eyes glinted mischievously.

"What?" Enjolras asked. Then memory dawned on him, and he looked to the sofa. Eponine was not there. Courfeyrac had joined Grantaire at the doorway to the bedroom.

"You must have done something wrong, _mon ami_, she is still fully clothed." Grantaire mocked. Enjolras hurried to their side and saw Eponine lying on his bed. His forehead wrinkled. When had that happened?

"Is that Eponine?" Courfeyrac asked in awe. "You bedded Eponine?"

Courfeyrac and Grantaire started laughing and Enjolras shook his head quickly. "No, I did not. I did not!" He insisted.

"Then you really must explain what is going on, for you seem like a liar at the moment." Courfeyrac told him. Grantaire was sneaking up to Eponine's side as Enjolras answered Courfeyrac.

"It's a long story, but Eponine is no longer under her father's tyranny and she has nowhere else to go, so I offered her lodging." He left out the part of his payment for her freedom. Courfeyrac still looked doubtful and Enjolras sighed.

"Good morning, mademoiselle." Grantaire whispered in the girl's ear. She stirred and opened her eyes. Grantaire grinned. As Enjolras looked on in embarrassment and Courfeyrac in amusement, Eponine's eyes shot open and she stood up quickly, almost losing her balance from the sudden movement.

"What are you doing here?!" She demanded of Grantaire, who laughed.

"I believe I have more right to ask you the same question." He shot back in a light tone of voice.

Eponine looked around and blushed at the sight of Enjolras and Courfeyrac in the doorway. Courfeyrac gave her a cheeky wave and Enjolras was struck by the need to smack him in the head.

"Thank you for your hospitality, monsieur." Eponine told Enjolras, avoiding Grantaire's look. She could not apologize like she had wanted to with his friends there, but she tried to tell him with their eyes. "I must be going now, though." She slipped past the two of them as she left the bedroom.

"Eponine!" Enjolras called, running after her. "Will you return tonight?" He whispered so Courfeyrac and Grantaire would not hear.

She looked into his eyes and nodded, then left the apartment. Enjolras shut the door after her and turned to face Courfeyrac and Grantaire's demanding looks.

"General LeMarque is ill, correct?" Enjolras tried to bring the conversation to the news that the two had delivered. Grantaire groaned and Courfeyrac nodded but smirked, indicating he would not be letting the events this morning go.

**A/N: SO many reviews on the last chapter! I don't even know what to say, except that I know that this chapter is kinda crappy and to be honest, I'm really disappointed with it. I hope you don't feel the same way but I wouldn't blame you if you did! As always, reviews and suggestions are always LOVED.**

**XOXO, Love always,**

**CAdreaming555**


	13. Chapter 13

Enjolras stepped down from a makeshift stage constructed in the café. He had been giving a rousing speech to the rest of Les Amis. General LeMarque, the people's man, had fallen ill, and Enjolras could feel the time ticking by as the day of revolution approached. He felt exhilarated and he smiled inwardly as he saw the looks of excitement in his friends' eyes. He sat down at a table by himself.

"The time is coming, isn't it?" A voice behind him asked. He looked around. It was Courfeyrac. "For revolution."

Enjolras nodded slowly, thinking. _Yes, the time is coming. _

"Now, I have a question." Courfeyrac sat down.

Enjolras nodded again, still consumed by plans for the revolt.

"What is Eponine going to do while you are busy planning?"

Enjolras snapped out of his thoughts. "Excuse me?"

Courfeyrac smirked. "You've been avoiding this conversation all day. Do not deny it."

"Eponine…shall do whatever she sees fit. Like she has always done." Enjolras grumbled. Courfeyrac was not lying when he said Enjolras had been avoiding this conversation.

"For example, sleep in your bed?" Courfeyrac's smirk had become a full-blown grin.

"No, for the last time, nothing happened." Enjolras snapped.

"Then you must tell of the details, for until you do I deem you a liar."

"I told you this morning. Eponine is no longer in danger from her father, but as such she has nowhere to go but the streets. I assume you are aware of the dangers that would face her out there. I did not wish to inflict that upon her, so I offered her lodging in my home until…" Enjolras reiterated, but he trailed off at the end, realizing he had not set any sort of deadline for when Eponine should leave again.

"Well that's all very _noble_ of you, Enjolras, but what is she giving in return?" Courfeyrac was enjoying making the marble leader squirm.

"_Nothing._ We have not arranged any sort of payback as of yet."

"So…?"

"I did not sleep with Eponine, Courfeyrac." Enjolras just wanted the conversation to be over. Evening was approaching, and he had not seen Eponine all day. She had not come to the meeting at the café. Enjolras, now aware of her family's reputation, could not help but worry if she really could fend for herself as well as she said she could. He remembered the time he had raised his hands in anger and how she had immediately flinched, and how he had observed her many times coming into the café trying to hide dark blue and purple marks on her body. He wondered if she would be at his apartment upon his return.

"I believe you," Courfeyrac told him, and Enjolras surmised that he was being honest. "But I have another question: Do you wish to sleep with her?"

There was a long pause. Enjolras did not enjoy lying to his brothers, but he also did not have a clear answer yet. Yes, he was attracted to Eponine, but he already disliked how distracting she was becoming. Her face appeared in his mind every time he mentioned the "plight of the poor" in his speeches. He had felt himself searching for her in the crowds all day long. And he could not remember the last time he had been so excited to return home.

"I…no." He finally answered, but Courfeyrac was already shaking his head in disbelief of his statement. Even Enjolras could admit that his long deliberation and unsure answer were ways to detect a lie.

"There is nothing _wrong _with desire." Courfeyrac told him, looking thoughtful. "We fight for liberty not only in politics."

Enjolras fought the urge to roll his eyes. "I do not appreciate distractions."

"Look around, Enjolras. All of us here give in to our desires and we are still willing and ready to pick up arms and fight alongside you. They will not hold us back."

Enjolras pondered for a moment. "But you do not have the burden and the privilege of having to lead. I do not want this revolution to fail." That was barely scraping the tip of the iceberg of his worries. He did not want to tell Courfeyrac that stress was keeping him up at night; the fear that he was leading all his friends to their inevitable, if valiant, deaths.

Courfeyrac looked concerned but did not respond immediately. "Very well. But it is quite obvious you have feelings for Eponine." He tried to lighten the situation again. "And we can _all _see it. Well, all except one." He glanced pointedly in Marius's direction. Enjolras couldn't help but smirk.

Enjolras was not sure what to respond, so he ignored Courfeyrac's proclamation. He stood up, grabbing his coat and casting a look at the darkening sky. "I must be leaving."

Courfeyrac's eyes glinted mischievously with the knowledge of who Enjolras was going home to. "Yes, yes, of course. You go and plan a revolution, we all believe in you." His smirk had returned.

Enjolras quickly exited the café and made his way home. In the evening, he could see the scum of the street begin to appear: the bastards, the drunks, the prostitutes, the homeless. It was for these people he strived to achieve a better world for. He kept an eye out for signs of Eponine as he walked, still fearful that she had gotten herself into more trouble, but they did not cross paths.

When he arrived home, it was empty. He was not sure what he had been expecting but the sinking feeling in his stomach told him that he was disappointed. Shaking his head, he settled down to read. He had not been reading for more than five minutes when an insistent knock on the door interrupted him.

He answered it and a dark figure rushed in without a word.

"Wha—?" He asked in alarm, but when he turned around, Eponine stood there. She had a long, threadbare coat wrapped around her body and was grinning. Enjolras quickly shut the door.

"I tried to come earlier, but the door was locked." Eponine explained. Enjolras immediately felt a fool for thinking that she could be waiting inside.

He nodded. "Well…good evening to you, mademoiselle." He smiled.

She grimaced at the title. "Eponine, if you please, monsieur."

"Then I am Enjolras to you. If you are not a mademoiselle, I am not a monsieur."

She considered this deal. "I believe that works." She agreed.

Enjolras eyed the coat she had on. "Are you cold?"

"Oh!" Her eyes became shifty. "Uh, yes."

"I will make some tea." Enjolras went to the kitchen. Eponine sat on the sofa and rummaged in her pocket. When Enjolras returned with tea, she pulled out two francs.

"For you, mon—Enjolras." She caught herself, then placed the money on the table in front of them.

He picked up the money. "How did you get this?"

She looked at him doubtfully as if to say, _do you really need to ask?_

"You stole this?"

She shrugged and picked up the hot mug of tea. "Did I have a choice?"

"There is always a choice of doing the right thing." His tone was disapproving but Eponine did not let that disturb her.

"No one in my life has ever concerned themselves with the 'right things' you speak of."

Enjolras felt pangs of sadness at the casualness with which she spoke of the injustices she had faced.

"Just take the money," she pleaded. Enjolras could see in her eyes that she really wanted him to accept her payment. He sighed and placed it in his pocket. Eponine smiled.

"Did you speak at the café today?"

"Yes."

"I assume it went quite well."

Enjolras shrugged. "I suppose."

"You do not need to be so modest. I've seen you speak. You are a very skilled…" She struggled for the right word.

"Orator?" He suggested, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Yes! And I can see the way you inspire your friends."

Enjolras shifted in his seat, for once embarrassed with praise. Eponine grinned at her ability to cause such a reaction.

"Are you warmer now?" He asked her, changing the subject.

"Oh, yes." She said quickly, forgetting herself.

"Might I take your coat?"

She realized her mistake and the impossibility of correcting it. He would find it suspicious if she kept herself wrapped in the coat if she was warm. Sighing, she slipped it off and handed it to him, looking downwards in shame.

Enjolras noticed it immediately. There were new marks on her arm: purple, finger shaped marks. She did not meet his eyes and he became angry.

"Eponine." He said, fighting to keep his voice under control. "What happened?"

"Those two francs did not come easily," was all she said.

He felt his blood run cold as he gazed at the finger marks. He threw the coat aside. "Eponine, what _happened?" _He only wanted to protect her from further harm, why couldn't she see that.

"I miscalculated the strength of the man I pickpocketed." She mumbled. "And I was not quite sneaky enough."

Enjolras could see the shame in her eyes, even as she hid them. He felt his anger melt and felt it replaced with guilt.

"I'm sorry, Eponine."

She looked up. "What?"

He sat down on the sofa beside her. "I know that if you had another choice, this type of thing would not happen. And I know you just want to pay me back."

She nodded. "That's right, I do! And…" she remembered what her intent had been last night. "I need to apologize."

"Whatever for?" He asked in confusion.

"I know, by way of conversations with your friends, that you do not often associate with ladies. While I am hardly a lady, my behavior last night was ridiculous. I overreacted to your affection and I feel very badly." She said boldly. She did not avert his eyes this time, and he was almost distracted by the intensity of her warm, brown gaze.

"Oh," was all he said. He had been thinking of how he had kissed her all day, and how she had kissed him back for a brief moment, and how good it had felt and how much he wanted to do it again. He watched her gulp.

"I hope you can forgive me."

He gave her a small smile. "I think I can."

"Good," she said. "Because I think I owe you this." With those words, she leaned forward and kissed him, hoping with all her heart that she was not being too forward or foolish. She felt him tense up for a brief second, then his arms wrapped around her and he responded with enthusiasm. He leaned forward, so soon she was lying on the sofa with her arms around his neck. He did not want to put too much weight on her thin, fragile body, and refrained from lying on her completely. She did not share his fear, but pulled him closer with her hands tangled in his curly hair. Their passion continued for what seemed like forever to Enjolras, but was probably only a few minutes. His hand felt her waist, and he funneled the anger he felt at feeling the tears Montparnasse had left into kissing her harder.

Eponine finally broke the kiss, breathless. "Uh…" she was at a loss for words, so she just smiled a very large smile at him.

"I should be going to bed," said Enjolras, standing up. He had no experience in what to tell a lady after such an occurrence. Eponine raised her eyebrows at what he might be saying. "Would you like to sleep on the sofa?"

She hesitated, not sure if his offer meant he had not enjoyed her. "Yes, that would be fine," she said quietly. He nodded.

"Goodnight, Eponine."

She sat down on the sofa. "Goodnight, Enjolras." She knew as soon he was out of the room her feelings of self-doubt would reappear. Enjolras seemed to see her uncertainty. He walked forward a few steps, bent down, and kissed her lips again.

"I do not want you to think I am using you," he whispered in her ear. "So we shall sleep separately tonight." With one more quick kiss, he left the room.

She flopped backwards onto the sofa, letting out a silent scream of happiness. On the other side of the door, the largest smile appeared on Enjolras's face.

A/N: Tell me what you think? :) Love to everyone who reads this story!


	14. Chapter 14

Eponine slept better that night than she had in years. Her slight confusion at what her and Enjolras was present, but not enough to keep her awake. Her nightmares did not return.

When she woke up, the apartment was empty. She guessed Enjolras had gone either to his classes or to continue planning with his friends at the café. She sat up slowly, blinking in the late morning sun. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept so late or so comfortably. When she finally decided to leave the warmth and comfort of her makeshift bed, she began to explore the apartment. There were books everywhere: on the shelves, tables, and even a few on the floor.

On a large table, she found a lone piece of paper. Large letters at the top spelled out E-P-O-N-I-N-E. The note was for her. Eponine had been taught to read at a young age, but she had not had the opportunity to practice for quite some time. She struggled to read the words on the paper.

_Eponine, I have gone to classes. I will stop back at home at noon. Please remain here until then._

_-Enjolras_

Eponine was grateful for her long sleep, or else she would have been bored, sitting there for hours. The sun's place in the sky told her that noon would be there soon.

She went into the washroom and found a mirror. Eponine grimaced at what she saw. Her dark, wavy hair was tangled and knotted. Her face, though sun-chapped, was not quite as sunken as usual, thanks to the sustenance she received by hanging around Les Amis. She had a map of bruises across her arms and chest, bruises both new and fading. Her cheeks did seem to have a happy sort of flush, though. Eponine frowned in confusion. What did Enjolras see in her? She was filthy, and the only men she attracted were rats. Enjolras was extraordinarily handsome. She felt both giddy and perplexed at once.

She heard the door open in the next room.

"Eponine?"

She went out to find the source of the voice. Enjolras smiled at the fact she was still there. Drawing closer to him, Eponine realized she did not know how to greet him. Should she just stand still? Kiss him? Enjolras seemed to be struggling with the same question. They settled on an awkward embrace but nothing more, and Eponine blushed a little.

"Did you read the note I left for you?"

Eponine nodded. "I did."

He smiled. "I wasn't sure if you were able to read or not, but I thought it was worth a try…"

Eponine knew not to be offended at the thought that she might not be able to read. "It was a little difficult, but I managed. Why did you want me to stay here?"

"Because I made some plans for you."

Her forehead creased. "What do you mean?"

"Well, and please do not take this the wrong way, you have been living in fairly unhygienic situations. Now that you are with me, I believe it best if you received a good bath and a few new dresses." He spoke slowly, watching her face to look out for any radical changes in her expression.

Eponine bit her lip. "I—uh—where?" She stammered, embarrassed.

"A seamstress I am acquainted with. I have made an appointment for you to have a fitting with her this afternoon."

Eponine let out a small sigh, not sure how to respond. "I have no more money." She finally said, quietly.

Enjolras looked at her like she was crazy. "Yes, I know, Eponine. This is just something I want to do for you."

Eponine wanted to refuse. She could not make him spend any more money on her behalf. But on the other hand, her clothes were itching and only a knife could cut through the layers of grime that coated her skin. And Enjolras looked quite eager, and she did not want to disappoint him.

She sighed again and rolled her eyes. "Alright, then." She smiled.

"Wonderful! Shall we be going?" He held out his arm to her.

She hesitated, and did not take his arm. "I can walk by myself. I do not think it would be good for your reputation to be seen with the likes of me."

He frowned. "I do not quite care what the upper-class really thinks of me, Eponine."

She shook her head. "Please, Enjolras," she remembered to use his name and not call him _Monsieur_, "You have done so much for me, and I do not want to witness the glares and mumbles you will get if I am on your arm."

He lowered his arm. "If that is what you really want."

She nodded vigorously. "It is."

"Then you can walk a little ways from me, but follow where I go." He offered.

"That sounds splendid."

When Enjolras had gathered up his belongings, he set off down the street. Eponine waited a few moments before exiting as well, and caught sight of him down the street, looking over her shoulder for her. When he saw her, he continued walking and she followed.

After a bit, he stopped at a vendor on the street. Eponine, a few steps behind him, stopped as well and peered around the crowds to see what he was doing. When a path finally cleared, she saw Enjolras walking towards her, but not making eye contact. He surreptitiously handed her a large chunk of hot bread, then quickly turned and kept walking. Eponine hid a grin and took a large bite of the food as they continued.

She finally joined him at the seamstress's shop.

"See? I told you it would work." Eponine smiled.

"I never doubted you." He told her.

"Thanks for the bread." She resisted the urge to reach out and touch his arm gently to convey her gratitude.

"You need it. Madame Bissette," he gestured at the shop window, "will already be aghast at how thin you are." He led her into the shop.

"Ah, is that you, Monsieur Enjolras?" A petite and graceful woman, who looked to be in her late 40s, came out from behind a mannequin. Her welcoming expression fell from her face when she laid eyes on the girl beside the student.

"Yes, good day to you, Madame." Enjolras greeted her. He noted how she was already looking at Eponine in disgust and he felt a sudden need to grab her hand comfortingly, but he did not.

"Is this the, uh, the mademoiselle you have arranged for me to work on today?" Her eyes scanned Eponine's darker skin and ripped clothes.

Enjolras nodded. "It is." He had known the seamstress a long time, she was friend of his mother's. He tried to tell her with a look that she was not to be too insulting to Eponine.

"Why don't you take a look around, dear?" Madame Bissette offered to Eponine, who was gazing in wonder at the luxurious fabrics that surrounded her. Eponine began to wander off, and as soon as she was out of earshot, the lady began reprimanding Enjolras in harsh tones.

"What are you thinking, monsieur?" She asked. "How in the world did you come to be associated with such a thing?"

"She's a friend of mine, Madame." Defended Enjolras, leaving out the part that he thought he might love her. "And she's been abused for quite some time. I thank you to treat her with the respect you would have for any member of the nobility."

"I don't believe I can," she whisper-shouted. "Monsieur, she's filthy!"

"_Please_, Madame. I am paying for you to make sure she leaves here looking like any bourgeois girl would."

Madame Bissette scowled, but nodded. "What would your mother say if she knew of your companions?" She mumbled, and it was Enjolras's turn to scowl.

"My family has no say or matter in any of this." He looked to where Eponine was examining a simple purple frock, being careful not to touch anything, then back to Madame Bissette. "I must be going, I shall return in a few hours." He made his way to Eponine and touched her arm lightly.

"Listen, Eponine," He whispered quickly. "She might not be the nicest woman around, but please keep your temper under control if you wish to see results."

Her eyes became worried, but she nodded. "Are you leaving now?"

"Yes, I must. I won't be gone for too long." He glanced at the seamstress, and when he saw that she was looking away, he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. "Good luck."

* * *

Eponine looked at the large metal tub in front of her that had just been filled with water. A bar of soap and a sponge lay beside it. Madame Bissette had told her to wash herself clean. She slowly dipped a toe in the water. It was fairly cold, but Eponine did not mind. She slipped out of her clothes and sank into the water, almost sighing at the glorious feeling. Within minutes, the clear water was turning a dark grayish-brown, and Eponine grimaced in disgust. She could feel the dirt and stress wash away from her body and she closed her eyes, just enjoying the feeling. She started scrubbed her skin until it was no longer brown, though it was still nowhere near the milky-white skin tones of the upper class ladies of Paris. Her wanderings about town had given her unusual tan skin.

When she had finished washing her hair as well, she stepped out. She spied a towel by the basin and ran it over herself, still deliriously happy at being clean again.

"Madame?" She called. She was in the back room of the shop, and the seamstress had told her to call her when she had finished.

"Are you done?" The lady called back. "Put on your underthings and we shall get to work."

Eponine put on her undergarments, which thankfully were not quite as disgusting as her usual clothes. She opened the door to the fitting room, where Madame Bissette was waiting.

"Ah, good." She smiled a smile that did not extend to her eyes. She still regarded Eponine with a level of both distrust and disgust. "Stand up here." Eponine noticed that several frocks were lying around the room. They were quite simple, but still much nicer than anything Eponine had owned at home. There was a purple day dress draped over Madame Bissette's arm.

Eponine stood up on a small pedestal and waited patiently as the lady took her measurements. Eponine could hear her click her tongue when she measured her waist.

"Is something wrong?" Eponine asked in response to the sound.

"You're quite skinny," the seamstress needlessly informed her.

"I thought having a small waist was the point of corsets and such," Eponine tried to keep the snap out of her voice.

"Well yes, but it is also to give a womanly figure. I must say, you might resemble an adolescent boy."

Eponine glowered. "An adolescent boy does not have breasts." She did nothing to hide her annoyance this time.

"Oh, I know." Madame Bissette was also trying her hardest to tone down her disgust, for the sake of the money Enjolras had offered her for this job. She worked in silence after that, while Eponine tried on several dresses and they all hung loose on her frame.

When several hours had passed and Eponine was beginning to wish for Enjolras to appear, Madame Bissette proclaimed that she had finished. Eponine slipped on the purple dress that had caught her eye. She almost gasped in amazement. It fit her perfectly, even her waist and hips. Looking in a mirror, she saw that her hair had dried into loose curls that cascaded down her shoulders. She grinned. Even Madame Bissette couldn't hide her amusement at the girl's expression.

"Madame?" A voice called from the front of the shop. Eponine felt her heart skip a beat as she recognized it as Enjolras's.

"One moment." Madame Bissette called, and she began packaging the remaining purchases. "You can wear that dress out of the shop," she told Eponine, who was still staring at her reflection in awe. "I hope you will allow me to dispose of the rags you came in wearing."

Eponine nodded, not really paying attention.

"Yes, she's in there," she heard Madame Bissette say to Enjolras in the next room.

Eponine finally decided she was done. Adjusting her hair once more, she left the room and joined Enjolras and Madame Bissette.

Enjolras did not immediately recognize her. He had not counted on how much her appearance relied on her clothing and grime. The girl in front of him more closely resembled the girl from his dream in the café than the girl he had led through the streets this morning. Her skin, though tan, was shining and clean, and her hair was no longer ratty, but soft and pretty. And she was smiling so big that it was infectious.

Enjolras paid the seamstress as Eponine looked at the money, disapproving, but accepting. Enjolras hurried her out of the shop, carrying the bundles of clothing.

"What do you think?" Eponine twirled in the street, ignoring the stares she got for her odd behavior. Enjolras grabbed her hand.

"Eponine…you really do look beautiful." He had thought that for quite some time, and he was not one to put too much stock into superficial appearances, but he could not deny that Eponine was now downright gorgeous. He held out his arm to her as he had done in his flat that afternoon. "Now will you accept to be seen with me?"

She looped her hand around his elbow and giggled. "Yes."

* * *

He brought her to the café that night, and she quickly ran off to talk to Gavroche in the corner. Enjolras joined Courfeyrac and Grantaire at the bar, where Grantaire was already swimming in liquor.

"I cannot believe you!" Courfeyrac said to him in stunned bewilderment.

"What on Earth are you going on about?" Enjolras asked, taking a seat.

"Just yesterday, I have to explicate the joys of loving women to you, and today you are on your second."

"What?" Enjolras asked, now thoroughly confused.

Courfeyrac glanced at Eponine, whose back was turned to them as she talked to Gavroche in hushed tones.

"I thought you wanted Eponine!"

Enjolras smiled with mirth, but did not interrupt his friend.

"And now you have forgotten her already!" Courfeyrac continued.

"Courfeyrac, you are mistaken," Enjolras tried to correct him, but Courfeyrac did not hear him.

"Where _is _Eponine, tonight? I expected her to be following either you or Pontmercy."

"Eponine is right here." A sultry voice behind him responded. The two boys looked around. Eponine had ended her conversation with Gavroche and had come up behind them. Enjolras hid his grin as Courfeyrac's jaw dropped and he looked to Enjolras in shock.

"Wait a moment," Courfeyrac looked over to Gavroche, who was now alone, to make sure he was looking at the same person. "Eponine?"

"Hi Courfeyrac." Eponine smiled at the two, but touched Enjolras's arm lightly without Courfeyrac noticing.

Grantaire had joined the conversation. "Fancy a drink, lovely lady?"

Eponine shook her head. "No, thank you, Grantaire."

"Why not? You're much too pretty to be sober."

"That's enough Grantaire." Enjolras scolded. Eponine must have heard someone calling her name, because suddenly she had left his side.

"Enjolras, what did you _do?_" Courfeyrac asked urgently, staring after the girl walking across the café.

Enjolras shrugged. "I did not have to do anything. She's really always looked this way."

Courfeyrac shook his head. "I don't know, _mon ami._ Your feelings for her are showing." He teased.

Enjolras brushed the tease aside. He had still not confronted the feelings he did have for the girl, and what they had done the night before only confused him more. "I don't know. Isn't she still Marius's shadow?" He could not hide his displeasure.

"I don't know…" said Courfeyrac again, slowly. "Perhaps not anymore." He was looking over Enjolras's shoulder. Enjolras turned.

Marius was pressing a letter into Eponine's hand. Eponine was talking to him, and her face was flushed with anger. Marius's mouth was opening and closing, but no response was coming out.

"I have never seen her talk to him in such a way," said Courfeyrac in awe. Enjolras strained to hear what she was saying.

"You are _perfectly _capable of taking this yourself. Did you not spend all day with her? Why the need to send a letter, anyway?" Eponine scoffed. She threw the letter aside and Marius watched it float to the ground with a look that resembled horror.

"Eponine, what's come over you? You're my friend!" Marius finally protested.

"Friends don't make _friends _risk their health for what you call _love._" Eponine sneered. Enjolras's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You never saw me when I was right in front of you, so now you will not have to see me at all." Eponine turned on her heel and stormed away from him, slamming the door of the café behind her.

A/N: Oh my gosh! I got so many reviews on the last chapter that I knew I needed to update quickly! Ok so quick thing about this chapter: I know absolutely nothing about clothing design or customs from this period, and I'm not going to pretend to, so that will explain if I got anything wrong. I'm sorry! I love everyone who reads this story so much, I hope this chapter (the longest I've ever written!) was good!

XOXO, Love always,

CADreaming555


	15. Chapter 15

Enjolras hurried after her, out of the café. He almost expected her to be crying and he braced himself to deal with her emotions. He found her standing by herself in the darkness a little ways from the café, her back turned to him and her face not visible. She was silent.

"Eponine?" He asked tentatively, standing a meter away from her.

She whirled around to face him. Her cheeks were flushed pink but instead of tear tracks, a huge smile was plastered across her face. She ran to him and flung her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. A little shocked, Enjolras hesitantly ran his hand down her back, returning the embrace.

"Eponine, what is going on?" He asked when she released him, laughing. He was utterly confused, but looking at the beautiful, laughing girl in front of him, he could not help but be reminded of his dream again, and how much she resembled the girl in it.

"I told him, didn't I? I finally told him that he no longer required my _services." _She said proudly.

"Yes, I heard, although…" He thought of the proper way to phrase his comment. "I almost expected you to be heartbroken."

Her smile faded. "Why?"

"My God, Eponine, must I really inform you why? You have been his...his..._shadow,_ for months now, pining over him and never leaving him alone, never seeing that his affections were never going to be returned!" A little left-over bitterness from the time she had chosen to leave with Marius after he had scared off Montparnasse showed in his outburst.

Her cheeks remained heated but her eyes glinted with icy coldness. "Yes, I realized that, Enjolras. That is why I informed him of my dissatisfaction. I do not understand your problem with this."

Enjolras took a deep breath. He was truly very glad that the girl he was falling for was no longer head-over-heels in love with Marius. "I have no problem with this. I'm very happy you gave up on your pointless dream. I was merely saying before that given your sometimes, uh, emotional tendencies, you might already regret your actions."

It was Eponine's turn to look confused. His remarks seemed condescending, but she could tell from his beaming smile that he was delighted that she was happy. "No, I do not regret my actions." She told him.

"Then this is excellent!" Enjolras exclaimed, but he quickly calmed down. He was used to being the stoic, haughty leader. "Eponine, I must ask, what brought about such a revelation?"

She cocked her head at him, frowning. "My God, Enjolras, must I really inform you why?" She said in a deep voice, mocking his earlier words. "Because of you."

There was a long moment of silence as Enjolras took in what she was saying. "You…" His voice trailed off. Eponine had to restrain a giggle at the sight of Enjolras, the famed orator, for once without words.

"I did not want to tell you that I cared for you earlier, because I knew what you and your friends called me. The Shadow. I was just like a puppy. I did not want you to think I would become that way with you, and scare you off."

"It is hard to frighten me."

"That does not matter. I cared for my own pride. I lost enough of it as it is, loving Marius. I did not want to seem a fool."

"Why now, though?"

She wanted to stomp her foot and throw the kind of spoiled tantrum she had thrown as a child, when she was her parents' little angel. How could he not grasp her meaning? "Because you _saw _me, and because you _cared._ You did not like the way Marius was treating me. Remember the night you escorted me to Rue Plumet? Not only did you care for my loneliness, you protected me. And I have never been protected before." She waited to see if she needed to go on. Enjolras was nodding.

"Yes, I could see that."

Eponine continued. "And then you took me into your home, and for the first time in years I look like a real girl."

"I always thought you—" He started, but she cut him off.

"You do not need to lie to me."

"Eponine, I'm not lying."

"I did not think anyone would return my affections, but then you started to…" Enjolras's silence was scaring her. Was she wrong? Was she doomed to fall into the trap again? "You did…start to care for me, did you not?" She braced herself for his answer.

Enjolras gulped and averted her eyes. Eponine's blood turned cold. He finally spoke. "Yes, Eponine, I did start to care for you. And I do care for you right now. I—" He was interrupted by her lips pressing against his. She had closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I …care…for you too." She was scared to use the word _love. _After all, she had applied it to her feelings for Marius, and look how that had ended up. Enjolras also looked a little uncomfortable with telling her how he felt.

* * *

Later that night, the two were joined by Courfeyrac and Combeferre at Enjolras's apartment. The men needed to discuss their courses of action now that General LeMarque was ailing. Eponine sat off to the side, trying to join the spirited conversation, but she was usually ignored. Out of the corner of his eye, Enjolras could see her slowly starting to glower.

"We must hold some sort of rally; we must reach out to the people." Courfeyrac was saying. Enjolras's eyes strayed to Eponine again. She was breathing heavily and he could tell she was simply bursting with arguments. Enjolras cleared his throat and looked to his friends.

"Maybe we should let Eponine put in a word." He suggested.

Courfeyrac and Combeferre fell silent. They looked to Eponine simultaneously and saw her share a pointed, meaningful nod with their leader. Combeferre opened his mouth to protest but Courfeyrac hushed him, noticing Enjolras's authoritative stare. Advice from Enjolras was an order.

"What do you think, mademoiselle?" Courfeyrac asked Eponine.

"If you are planning to rally the people, you will need to be more convincing than you have ever been. The people of the slums will not take to you kindly. You three are all rich, what do you know of the oppressed life of the poor? You have been handed everything you ever wanted on a silver plate. They will not trust you. You are going to have to make their plight understandable in the political aspect, but do not talk down to them like they are slaves. They will not rise immediately upon your command." The words came fast and angry and the three boys' expressions turned to shock, particularly Combeferre and Courfeyrac, who, unlike Enjolras, had never experienced Eponine's fire. Enjolras was looking at Eponine curiously by the end, and she made eye contact with him with a hard expression on her face.

"Why will they not immediately rise? Have they not realized that they do not have to live in such squalor?" Combeferre wondered.

Eponine rounded on him, the skirts of her new dress swishing angrily. "That is what I meant. You cannot condescend them. And there have always been and will always be poor people in this land, no matter how much you love it. There were poor people before the Revolution, and poor people during the Republic. You cannot change everything so quickly."

Combeferre's mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. Enjolras, for all his worries that her words were true, could not suppress a smile at how shocked his friend looked.

"Do not worry, _mon ami, _I have an idea." Courfeyrac clasped Enjolras's shoulder.

"What would that be?"

"I will tell you of it tomorrow, for now, I think we must be going." Courfeyrac nodded to Combeferre. Eponine calmed down, though she could not help but notice the odd look Courfeyrac was giving her, and squirmed under his gaze. Courfeyrac gestured again, and soon the two men had left Eponine alone with Enjolras again.

After a moment of silence, Enjolras looked at her appraisingly. "You're feeling quite fearless tonight, aren't you?" He was sitting in a chair at the table, and she was standing at the end of it, looking quite pleased with herself.

She shrugged. "You needed to hear the truth."

"Did you realize the truth would be so insulting?" His words were not angry or bitter, but he was hiding a little hurt in them.

She shrugged again. "That is often what the truth is. I meant everything I said."

He nodded, and looked down at some documents he had drawn up with his friends. "I will take your opinion into consideration."

She walked over so she was standing in front of him and took his hands. He looked up at her. "I do not want to lose you." She said simply, rubbing her thumb over his palm.

"You won't." He stood up and took her face in her hands. For the first time, he did not feel dirt or tears on her face, and when his hand brushed against her hair, it was not coarse. He hesitated.

"Just kiss me." She told him. He obliged.

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short! It's kind of a filler chapter because I have some stuff planned out but it couldn't happen just yet! I just wanted to update because I love you all so much and you deserve to get everything you want! New chapter should be up within three days, but reviews always speed up the process :P Also, did anyone catch the Wicked and Brick references I made in this chapter? :)


	16. Chapter 16

"Was Monsieur Combeferre highly insulted by my outburst last night?" Eponine asked over breakfast. Enjolras looked across the table at her.

"I do not think you fit into his conventional view of women and politics, but I would venture to guess that he will not cling to any insults you might have made." He answered thoughtfully. Eponine looked down and tore a piece of her bread.

"What do you think is Courfeyrac's idea?" She continued to try to make conversation. He did not have classes that day, and she had woken up on the sofa to see him in an armchair across the room, reading a book.

Enjolras shrugged. "I haven't a clue."

There was an awkward pause.

"Did you sleep comfortably?" Enjolras asked her. She was clad in a long white nightgown that he had bought her from Madame Bissette. Her wavy hair was mussed up from the way in which she had slept and from the way Enjolras had held her head while pressing kisses to her lips the night before.

She smiled and nodded, smirking at the way he almost blushed while looking at the effects his hands had had on her hair. Grantaire had been right that night—marble was able to crack, and she was enjoying every minute of seeing him shatter.

"Do any of your friends know that you and I—uh—" She still did not have a concrete word to describe her and Enjolras's relationship, but he picked up her meaning.

"I have not told any of them directly, but I believe a few of them might have picked up on signals."

"Like who?"

"Courfeyrac, or maybe Jehan." He answered quickly.

She chewed slowly, mulling over the information. "Do you wish for more of them to know?"

Enjolras shrugged. "I am not ashamed of you, Eponine. I see no reason to make a large effort in hiding it. That being said, I do not often go around telling of the details in my personal life as it is."

"You are not ashamed of me?" She kept her expression emotionless, but inside she was bewildered. She had seen beautiful girls fawning over him before, at his beautiful facial features and his pretty words. He could have any lady in Paris if he wished, and somehow it was gamine who had ended up sharing his home.

"No, I am not, and I never want you to think that I am." His eyes had a hard, defiant look, but Eponine knew it was not towards her that his defiance was aimed at, it was at the social class structure.

She nodded. "I will try." She did not want to voice her insecurities in front of him.

"So, mademoiselle," he said in an overly formal voice, changing the subject, "What do you wish to do today?"

She paused in confusion. "I had thought you would use your spare time to organize your protest outside of LeMarque's home." A look of understanding dawned on the student as he remembered what he and his friends had been planning the night before. "Does my presence distract you from your goals, monsieur?" She teased.

He shook his head to clear it. "It goes against everything I have ever said to my friends, but yes, I would say that you are somewhat distracting."

She knew his statement was meant to be flirtatious, but she frowned. "Are you alright with that?"

He looked straight into her deep brown eyes and smiled a little side smile at her. "Yes."

"But you could not even remember your plans for today!" Eponine chewed her lip nervously. She did not want Les Amis to turn on her for essentially kidnapping their fearless leader.

"A mere lapse of the mind." He assuaged her worries. "Would you care to accompany me to the café this morning?"

"The time is near!" Enjolras was shouting enthusiastically. His friends raised their voices in agreement. Eponine sat in the corner, not participating in the festivities. She spied Marius from across the room, but he had not seen her. For the first time in a while, he looked passionate for something other than "The Lark", and he was paying close attention to the words that Enjolras spoke. Eponine smiled to herself. Though her love for Marius seemed to have faded away, she did not despise the boy.

Eponine thought she could feel eyes on her and she looked around self-consciously. From the corner of the room she could suddenly see Courfeyrac pointing her out to another boy in Les Amis that she did not recognize. Bahorel, maybe? She was not sure. She shifted in her seat as she then saw Courfeyrac nod in Enjolras's direction and the boy she thought might be Bahorel's jaw dropped. She could easily surmise what they were talking about.

Enjolras descended from his "pedestal" and was met with many handshakes and words of praise and encouragement. He did not smile, just nodded politely and thanked the well-wishers for their support. He kept his eyes on the girl across the room, sitting alone, as he slowly made his way through the excited crowd. Eponine looked lost in thought, and she did not even notice him when he finally stood in front of her.

"Eponine?"

She looked up and smiled. "Hello, monsieur."

He shook his head at her formality and took a seat next to her. "What was your opinion?"

"What, of your speech?"

"Yes," he said. "Do you have the same complaints as last time?" He kept his tone light so she would not get too angry. She didn't explode, but she took his comment seriously.

"What I offered you last night was not a complaint, it was just a fact. The same facts apply today and they always will."

"You do not think I am capable of raising the people?" He asked, his joking tone gone now.

She looked directly into his eyes. "Enjolras, with your words and your charisma you are capable of nearly anything. But it's this same fact that will cause you trouble in bringing the fight to the people. We," and here Enjolras noted that she included herself as one of the poor, "do not have that opportunity. So yes, you are capable; you just need to make some changes."

"Then tell me what these changes are, Eponine!" His voice nearly cracked and Eponine registered a moment of shock. He sounded so stressed, so needy. "I do not want to lead a suicide mission." His voice faded and he looked down. Eponine took one of his hands in her own.

"Don't dress so fancy. Don't inform them that they are the low-lifes, they do not need reminding. I know how much you love your Greek mythology, but chances are, they will not understand your references, so leave them out of your speeches." She offered in a low voice. She could see him nodding in understanding and she felt her stomach swoop in happiness. She, Eponine Thenardier, was able to _help _a privileged rich boy. For once, she knew more, and she held power.

"Thank you, _thank you, _Eponine." He gave her hand a surreptitious kiss and she blushed.

From across the room, Grantaire and Courfeyrac were eyeing the pair.

"So, that's it then, Enjolras has taken a mistress?" Grantaire asked, but it came out as more of a statement. Courfeyrac's eyes widened and he smirked when he saw Enjolras kiss Eponine's hand.

"It looks to be true," Courfeyrac said. "They make such an odd pair, I never would've thought…"His voice trailed off, but Grantaire did not even notice.

"This establishment used to be one of class."

Courfeyrac looked around. An older man stood behind him, looking in the same direction he did, grumbling.

"I beg your pardon?" Courfeyrac asked.

The man scowled and gestured toward Eponine, who was now listening intently to something Enjolras was telling her. "Scum of the streets, I tell you."

Courfeyrac looked back to Eponine, frowning. "Please explain yourself, sir," he demanded. "What is your problem with that girl?"

The man snorted and looked at the young student as if he were an idiot. "That's a Thenardier, boy! You did not know? Bloody pickpocket as well."

"Thenardier?" Courfeyrac had heard Gavroche speak of the infamous family. "Like _the _Thenardier?"

"That's right. And if you boys are plotting with that kind, I worry for the outcome of all this."

Courfeyrac bristled. "The entire idea of our uprising centers on the belief that the poor deserve more rights and are entitled to redemption. You should not even be here if you do not hold these beliefs."

The man shrugged indifferently. "Then I shall leave, and perhaps be the only one in this café to see the end of summer."

Enjolras and Eponine had retreated from the crowded café and were strolling in the nearby streets, along windows with fabulous merchandise. To Enjolras's surprise, Eponine was not entranced by the beauty and garishness of the fashion.

"Did you ever wish to be a lady of noble descent?" Enjolras suddenly asked her. She looked up in surprise, thought about the question, then shrugged.

"I assume so. I was so spoiled as a child that I probably believed I was a noble. After that, life became more about surviving at least until the next day then wishes and dreams."

"But you lived in your daydream of being with Marius." Enjolras reminded her. She bit her lip.

"Yes, but that was my only escape. That dream was about him seeing me as I was and loving me even so, not suddenly waking up in a Palace."

Enjolras's response was cut off by calls down the street. The couple looked around. Courfeyrac was running towards them, and he skidded to a halt in front of Enjolras.

"Courfeyrac, what is the urgency?" Enjolras gripped the panting man's arm. "Did LeMarque's condition worsen?"

Courfeyrac shook his head. When he regained his breath, he straightened and looked to Eponine.

"Mademoiselle, might I have a moment with Enjolras?" He asked, subtly telling to leave.

Eponine looked to Enjolras, who nodded at her.

"I won't keep him too long." Courfeyrac promised. Eponine walked a few steps until the boys were out of earshot.

"Now what is going on?" Enjolras demanded.

"There was a man in the Musain who had a few choice words to say about your lady friend," said Courfeyrac.

"Why should I care?"

"Enjolras, I—how do I tell you this? She's…" He seemed to be thinking of the least offensive way to convey his statement. "She's a Thenardier." He finally burst out.

Enjolras remained expressionless.

"As in, the gang member and notorious thief, Thenardier." Courfeyrac explained.

Enjolras looked puzzled. "Yes, Courfeyrac, I know." He informed him. Courfeyrac's face slackened.

"You…what?"

"I am aware of Eponine's family situation," Enjolras repeated. Then his gaze darkened and he took on a much more intimidating presence. "My friend, if I might ask, what was your intention in telling me this?"

"I just thought you should know."

"Did you expect me to just suddenly lose my trust in Eponine? Because of the misfortune she has suffered at the hands of her father?"

Courfeyrac looked mildly ashamed of himself. One of his closest friends he might be, but Enjolras could be quite daunting when he wanted to be. "No, no I did not think that." He defended. "I really just…I thought you ought to know who you were getting involved with, on such a personal level."

Enjolras's face relaxed somewhat, but he still did not look pleased. "Then I thank you for your concern, my friend, but I trust Eponine." He looked over to the girl in question, who was leaning against a wall and watching passerby in the street. "I love her."

A/N: THIS CHAPTER MAKES ME SO NERVOUS. Ok just a disclaimer, I wrote most of this with a fever so I hope it didn't turn out too bad! Again, this was a bit of a filler chapter because I have SO MUCH PLANNED for the next chapter, but this needed to be in here to get us to that point! Your reviews completely made me feel better while sick and I love you all to death!


	17. Chapter 17

A week had passed since Enjolras had informed Courfeyrac of his love for Eponine. Since then, the boys had become warmer to her, and Enjolras assumed Courfeyrac had spread the information. When Eponine accompanied Enjolras to the café, she was welcomed into conversations. She had been a little startled at first; usually Enjolras was the only one who wanted her opinions. Enjolras was pleased that she was comfortable within the group, and had nodded a 'thank you' to Courfeyrac the first time it had happened. His friend had just nodded back and smiled knowingly.

"Tell us, Eponine," Combeferre started, "how did Gavroche escape your home?"

Several faces looked to her eagerly. When, at the beginning of the week, she had first been bombarded with questions such as these, she had avoided some and answered quietly for others. Now, she knew that they merely wanted to fill their brains with more information, information that only she could give.

"He was just brave, I guess. He was so young, but he knew right away it was not a place for him. He was just another mouth to feed, and there just wasn't enough. So he ran away, and I know for certain that he is much happier now. I mean, he lives in an elephant!"

"Do you wish you had gone with him?" Joly followed up.

Eponine thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I was a young girl at the time. I would not have known what to do. It's more dangerous for girls; I would have ended up at the docks or the brothel." She said with brutal honesty. She heard a ripple of murmurs through the small crowd she was talking to, and saw the pitying glances and worried expressions. She rolled her eyes to downplay the tension.

"Everything is well now, though. You need not worry for me."

Their expressions did not fade, and she sighed, looking around the room for Enjolras. She caught sight of his blond, curly hair across the room. He was deep in discussion with Marius, who was frowning deeply.

"Yes, everything is well now that you live in the heart of a marble statue—you and your brother have that in common!" Grantaire exclaimed to roars of laughter. Eponine couldn't help a laugh, or the blush that crept up her cheeks. She looked away again, hoping to avoid the awkward questions that were sure to come now that Grantaire had joined in.

"Has Enjolras asked your father for his blessing yet?" Grantaire teased. Eponine's eyes flashed. Courfeyrac had had the sense not to tell the rest that Eponine was a Thenardier, to her relief. But the boys also did not know the exact circumstances under which Eponine had come to stay with Enjolras. All Enjolras had told them was that he got Eponine away from the men that had been hurting her. The part that shamed her, the part where he had paid for Thenardier to never see her again, remained secret.

"No, Grantaire, my father does not have a God-fearing bone in his body." She retorted. At her angry tone, a few boys left the circle, and an easier conversation overtook.

* * *

"LeMarque's condition is worsening by the day, Marius. We must be prepared." Enjolras was telling Marius in stern tones.

"Yes, but there is no way to be fully ready if he dies, say, tomorrow." Marius replied.

"Then we shall pray he does not die tomorrow! When his time comes to pass on, our opportunity arises. We cannot miss it."

Marius took a deep breath. He had spent much of his day with Cosette, who had brought the thought into his head that perhaps dying for an ailing France was not the way to go. He was trying to persuade Enjolras to delay his plans, even if that would only give him more time to convince his friend to cancel the revolution altogether. It was looking to be a futile mission.

Marius looked to his friends for support. They were gathered a little ways away, forming a misshaped circle around Eponine. He guessed they had been interrogating Eponine, as they sometimes did now, about her life and the lives of the Parisian poor. At the moment, she looked a little forlorn. _Les Amis _were chatting among themselves, and Eponine fiddled with the hem of one of her new dresses.

Enjolras followed Marius's gaze and scowled when he saw who was looking at. He cleared his throat to bring Marius's attention back to himself. Marius looked back to his friend with a puzzled stare.

"Forgive me if this is intrusive, Enjolras, but is what I am hearing true?"

"What have you heard?" Enjolras did not allow emotions to cross his face.

"That you have fallen in love with Eponine." Marius said in a hushed voice.

Enjolras shifted his weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. "I would not say I have _fallen_. I seem to be at the same position I was at before I developed feelings for her." He said, trying to keep a certain level of disdain in his voice. He did not want Marius to believe he was about to become as mushy and sentimental as Marius had when he met Cosette.

"So it is true!" Marius's expression was caught between amusement and annoyance.

Enjolras did not have a response, but it did not matter as Marius continued to jabber.

"Has she talked about me at all? In the last week?"

Enjolras bristled. "No, she has not. And it is a trend I expect to continue."

Marius sighed, now looking sad. "I remember a time when she was always near. She was my friend, and now she won't look at me."

Enjolras resisted the urge to roll his eyes immaturely. "You were never her friend." He muttered.

Leaving Marius to his pathetic sentimentality, he walked to where Eponine sat, frowning at her hands.

"Hello," he whispered to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. She looked up, a smile breaking across her face. "Are you alright?" He looked around to make sure none of his friends were looking at him and smirking. He did have an image to maintain.

She nodded. Her sad appearance had completely disappeared and it warmed him to know that he was the reason for her smile. "Yes, yes, I'm fine." She stood up. "Are you ready to leave?"

He shook his head. "No, there is much more work to be done. You look exhausted, though. Why don't you go back?"

She hesitated.

"I promise you, everything after now will not be interesting to you. Get some rest." He retrieved the key to his apartment and handed it to her. "I will see you later."

She pursed her lips, but gave in and took the key. "Thank you." She looked around to make sure there were no eyes on them, then gave him a quick kiss. "See you later."

"Eponine, be careful walking home." He warned her.

"Do not worry for me." She told him with a smile, then quickly left. He shook his head, knowing that however many times she told him that, he would always worry for her.

* * *

Eponine woke up the next to the sound of silence. Looking around, the apartment seemed to be empty. Cracking the door to Enjolras's room open, she saw that the bed had not been touched. Enjolras had not returned home the night before.

Eponine exited the apartment. She saw street children running past her in large groups, shouting excitedly. There appeared to be a large commotion near the large home of General LeMarque. Men, both rich and poor, were hurrying towards it, and women were looking out of second-story windows to see what the hubbub was about. Eponine picked up the long skirt of her dress and joined the groups of people flocking to the house.

She felt both exhilaration and exasperation when she saw what was going on. The boys of the ABC Café had started a rally on the fronts of General LeMarque's house. There was a large crowd gathered, so large that they were blocking the traffic in the area. Carriages had come to a standstill. Her heart fluttered when she saw Enjolras. He stood in the center of their stage, sunlight reflecting off his golden hair. He radiated power and his voice carried over even the din the crowd was making. She fought her way to the front of the crowd, hoping to get near enough so that he could see her.

"The time is near!" He was shouting. "The voice of the people is fading!" He gestured widely to the house behind him. "But we shall not let it die in vain!" There was more applause.

"The judgment day is coming!" Marius, standing beside Enjolras, joined in. "How long before the barricades arise?" Only Eponine could see the uncertainty in Marius's eyes, an uncertainty that did not show in Enjolras, Courfeyrac, or Joly, who were also at the forefront of the rally.

Eponine gazed up at the boys, the boys who yesterday had been drinking and making merriment in a café, and were now starting a war. She smiled up at them, but she remained worried. Finally, Enjolras caught sight of her. She gave him an encouraging nod and he flashed a triumphant smile at her, then gripped Marius's shoulder and continued shouting to the crowd.

"We will cut the fat ones down to size!"

After a while, the people began to disperse. The bourgeoisie who had come to investigate left quickly, hoping to avoid a run-in with the police. The ones who remained were the poor, the ones who had nowhere else to go.

"Why should we listen to you?" A sudden voice called out. An older woman draped in tattered shawls was scowling. The twenty or so people who were still present looked to Enjolras for his response.

"Because I am leading you toward a better France. A better France for us all." His voice stayed clear and ringing.

"Why would _you _need a better France? France has given you all you could ask from it!" The woman yelled back. Mutters were rippling through the smaller crowd. Negativity was spreading. Enjolras looked to Eponine quickly and she frowned sadly at him. She did not want to think 'I told you so.'

"I have never asked France for anything. Everything I do, I do in her name solely for the purpose of improving the land I love."

"You know nothing of us! You know nothing of the life of the poor!" A middle aged man shouted, shaking his fist. More and more of the crowd were starting to shake their heads and look away from the angelic student in front of them.

"Nor should _you _have had to know suffering. We, together, can make it so no one will face injustice!" His pretty words were not helping, and even Enjolras could admit that he was exaggerating slightly.

"You know nothing of people like us!" Another man repeated. "And members of your class would never associate with us."

Enjolras was about to retort, but Courfeyrac broke in. "Monsieur, that is not true! This man right here," he clapped Enjolras's shoulder. "Is courting a street girl!"

Eponine felt her heart skip a beat and her body go cold. Her eyesight blurred with fury but she still tried to look for a way to escape the confines of the crowd.

Enjolras had also frozen. He had no idea what the hell Courfeyrac was doing. He suddenly felt many eyes on him. It was a sensation he was used to, as the leader of Les Amis, but this time it felt different. This time, it was because of details of his personal life.

"Is that true?" The older woman who had first started the ridicules spoke up.

Enjolras opened his mouth but no words came to him.

"It's true, she is right there!" Combeferre pointed to Eponine and soon she was experiencing the feeling Enjolras lived in: the feeling of being stared at.

"That girl is dressed in finery!" Another voice called out. "You are lying!"

Courfeyrac shook his head. "No, we are not! She is Eponine Thenardier, perhaps you have heard of her?" He grinned, remembering that the man in the café had recognized her. Her name was infamous, surely these people would know of her family. Some of Les Amis looked at her in surprise as well, suddenly reevaluating her.

Eponine had never been filled with such a murderous desire in her life. Not even the most brutal of beatings by Patron-Minette could stir such anger in her. _How dare they drag her into this._

She felt a woman draw her closer to her and examine her face. "She's Thenardier, all right!" She shouted to the crowd.

"Very brave of you, monsieur, to choose a girl like her." A younger woman said to Enjolras. All around, people were nodding approvingly, but also casting wary looks in Eponine's direction. Her name might be famous, but it was also feared.

Enjolras still had not spoken. He, too, was furious with his friends. He only nodded curtly to the praise being shouted at him now. The people were so fickle.

The crowd started to divide. Some left, and others flocked to either Eponine or Enjolras.

"Did he buy you this? How romantic!" A young girl, clutching her mother's skirts said excitedly, pointing to Eponine's dress. Eponine tried her best to break her scowl, but failed.

Older women were badgering Enjolras now, to Courfeyrac and Joly's amusement.

"Don't go near her father," one warned him. "Nasty piece of work, that one."

Again, he only nodded.

"If you could look past a Thenardier's place in society, you must be a man of honor and courage," said another.

Around ten minutes later, the crowd had finally disbanded. Les Amis let out whoops of enthusiasm and triumph. They descended from LeMarque's house, clapping each other on the back. Enjolras hurried down, ignoring the jubilation around him and looked around frantically for Eponine. He caught sight of her hurrying away. Unnoticed by his friends, he dashed after her.

"Eponine!" He shouted, catching up to her. He grabbed a hold of her arm. She whirled around to face him. Her face was red with anger and her eyes sparked with rage.

"Was that planned?" She spat.

"What? No!" He defended. He grabbed both her shoulders and looked at her, trying to convey that he was just as annoyed as she was at what his friends had done.

"How dare you? How dare you reveal my identity, and for your personal benefit?!"

"Eponine, this was not my doing! Blame my friends, go ahead! I did none of this!"

She ignored his protestations. "I refuse to have any part in this now."

"Eponine, no, you are a fantastic asset—"

"Asset?" She sneered. "No, _monsieur, _I will not be an asset. I will not be your…your…" She struggled for the right word. "Your _symbol. _I will not be the symbol for the revolution that will get you _killed._" She said with the maximum amount of venom possible.

There was a moment of silence as they stared at each other.

"I will not get kil—"

"Yes, you will!" She screamed, interrupting him. Several of the café boys had stopped their celebration and looked over to the spat. "This _stupid _revolution of yours will kill you."

He stared at her. Her eyes were starting to water. She gently removed his hands from her shoulders and held onto one of them. "It will take you away from _me._" Her voice became tender, although her eyes still shone with fury.

"Eponine, please, I did not mean for this to happen!"

"That does not matter. I will not be your symbol. I will not be your asset. I refuse to be flaunted as a representation of the poor of Paris, just for your benefit."

"I was never planning to _flaunt _you!" Enjolras could hear the desperation in his voice as she dropped his hands. They had drawn the attention of Les Amis now, but he did not care. "Eponine, please!"

She just shook her head and took a few steps backward. "I'm sorry, I cannot stay for the purpose of your idiotic plans." Her voice was not as harsh as it had been. She began to hurry away and Enjolras, in shock, felt stuck in place.

"I don't want to lose you." The breeze carried her parting words.

"Then why are you leaving?!" He yelled after her. She was already disappearing into the streets.

Enjolras grabbed his hair in desperation and turned, to face the stunned faces of Les Amis de l'ABC.

A/N: Well, it couldn't be sweet forever! Sorry (not really) for all the angst, but it's not gonna go away quite yet! I'm still sick at the moment, and I guess the best remedy would be reviews? God knows they make me feel 1000x times better! If you like my fever-induced chapters and don't want me to get better…well then you should still review and let me know that :) Love always!


	18. Chapter 18

Once Eponine felt she had dissolved into the crowded streets, she ran. She ran until her muscles were on fire and she had a stitch in her side. She ran through the streets and alleys, going off pure memory but not quite conscious of her destination. Tears blurred her eyesight, but she ignored them and kept going until she collapsed on the side of a street, panting and sobbing at the same time. Her fine, violet dress was dirty from the people she had pushed past and the items she had bumped into. Her clean hair was developing a knot, and sweat rolled down her rosy cheeks.

She sat, crumpled, silent for a still moment. The conversation played back in her head: Enjolras's defenses and her hasty, angry accusations. Her breath was shaky as she grabbed her hair, trying to make sense of everything.

_Les Amis _were wrong. The boys had been wrong to drag her into the mess that was their death-wish revolt. She did not mind advising Enjolras, or answering their questions, but for them to paste her image on their flag like that to attract the poor they aimed to free? She had no doubt she was in the right. Still…

Eponine looked down at the nice fabric of her dress, overcome by the need to tear it. Looking around, she realized she had led herself back to the slums she used to know, used to live in. Her outfit felt out of place, and on top of that, it reminded her of who had bought it for her. The beautiful, blonde boy she had just fled from. She clutched a handful of cloth in her hands, ready to rip some of the long hem. It was restrictive. It was unnecessary. It was…beautiful.

Eponine shoved that last thought out of her mind and pulled with all her strength, expecting the fabric to come apart in her hands and fill her mind with cruel satisfaction. Nothing happened. She tried again. She tried pulling smaller sections. Larger sections. She tried so many times she barely registered that she had started to cry in desperation, her arms growing weaker but the material resilient as ever. The quality was too great; it could not tear.

Finally taking a good, hard look around, she recognized the streets fairly close to her old home. She did not fear what would happen if she came across her family. She had nothing left to lose. The only person who had given a damn to her wellbeing—Enjolras—was back in the center of Paris, or at the Café, probably celebrating the successful rally with his friends.

She brushed away the last few tears from her eyes and stood up, taking deep, calming breaths. She had to hold it together. She was back in the tough parts of town, where vulnerability was dangerous. She realized her clothes did indeed stick out a bit. The people around her, hurrying through with their heads lowered, were dressed in rags, often in shades of green, gray, or brown, that helped them camouflage into the surroundings. She saw several women eye the bright color of her dress. Eponine quickly brushed her dirty hands off and set off, her stomach rumbling, to find food or source of money.

* * *

"What just happened?" Came the first response. Enjolras was gazing at his group of friends with a hard, yet slightly distant stare. He was not sure which insults he wanted to hurl first, which curses were befitting the situation. It was Marius who had finally broken the tension, looking warily at Enjolras.

Enjolras opened his mouth to speak, but Courfeyrac beat him to it. "Eponine left, didn't she?"

Fixing his angry glare on Courfeyrac, Enjolras gestured to where Eponine had disappeared into the crowd. "Clearly." He said coldly.

"Is she coming back?" The question was hesitant, and Courfeyrac looked more nervous than the boys had ever seen him.

Breathing slowly, Enjolras raised his head arrogantly. "No."

There was another awkward pause.

Combeferre was the one to break it. "Did she give a reason?" He asked, but he already knew the answer, and felt shameful.

"Yes, _mon ami_," Enjolras sneered the term. "She gave a reason. Would you like to venture a guess as to what it was?" The question was rhetorical, and he did not wait for any stupid replies. "She did not appreciate the manner in which you brought her to the crowd's attention. She did not want to be, as she called it, a symbol for what we are doing."

"Oh." Courfeyrac replied in a hushed voice.

"What in God's name possessed you to bring the details of my personal life into this gathering?" Enjolras's voice was rising with anger, and he looked even more fearsome than he had at the front of the rally, voice booming. There was no answer to his question. None of the ABC boys dared shuffle off, but none wanted to directly face Enjolras's wrath.

"It won over the people," Marius suggested desperately. "We were successful today, at the very least."

Enjolras scanned the group, his stance barely softening. He realized that this was exactly the reason he had never wanted to associate closely with women in the first place. His friends now saw him as defensive of Eponine, not only liberty. They were acting cautious around him because they did not want to stir anger at thoughts of the girl they had just inadvertently scared away. He let out a deep breath. "Yes, at least we have that." He did not smile, but his friends knew him well enough to know that that admission was one not of defeat, but one that settled the feud. Enjolras was no longer going to show anger at them.

* * *

Eponine slipped through a group of men who were dressed more nicely than the majority of the street's population. Purposely bumping into one, she slipped a wallet out of his pocket, apologized for her clumsiness, and took off in the opposite direction before the man could know anything had happened.

There were five francs in the wallet, and Eponine smiled with delight. She would eat well today. This morning had been all about proving herself _to _herself. She had been in Enjolras's care for a very short amount of time compared to her time in the streets. Her skills had not become rusty and she still knew her way around. She did not _need _Enjolras. All she needed was herself, and that was all she had anyway.

She bought herself bread and a bowl of thin soup later that day. Granted, it was not as great as the food she had received by way of the café, but she had to forget about that. She was not going to taste that food again. Comparing what she had now to what she had had a day ago was pointless.

The sun had started to set, and Eponine began searching for a moderately safe side street she could sleep in. Most were covered in vomit, urine, or were already occupied by others like her. She finally found a corner of an alley that looked to be vomit-free, so she sat there and rested her head on her shoulder, ready to fall asleep.

* * *

At the café, Les Amis were drinking merrily and toasting the success of the day. Enjolras sat off to the side, book in hand, watching as Grantaire brought out another bottle of liquor. He rolled his eyes. Nothing Grantaire did could be done sober, it seemed. Enjolras could hear a ghost of Eponine's rough laugh, and remembered how she would defend the drunkard yet also spurn his joking advances. He shook his head to clear his mind of those thoughts. Eponine's laugh did not matter anymore. Nor did her voice, her face, and her opinions. They were all gone.

* * *

"Is that Eponine Thenardier I spy?" A smooth voice came from the shadows. Eponine's eyes, that had finally started to drift off to sleep, flew open. "It cannot be, Eponine is a filthy little thing!"

"Go away, Montparnasse." Eponine grumbled. She did not even care enough to stand up. "Your jokes are not needed, now or ever."

"On the contrary, you used to enjoy them quite a lot." The young man emerged from the cover of darkness. Observing the shivering girl in the corner, he smirked. "But that is not the matter at hand, is it?"

"There is _no _matter at hand. I'm trying to sleep, go away." She snapped. If there was anything she was not in the mood for, it was an encounter with Montparnasse.

Ignoring her entirely, Montparnasse continued. "I seem to remember an exchange…I assume you know what I am referring to? No? A pretty bourgeois boy paid your father to take you away, but it doesn't look like you got too far." Montparnasse laughed at his own mediocre wit.

Eponine nestled her face into the crook of her neck and closed her eyes, trying to drown out the insolent boy with her thoughts. A rough hand suddenly grabbed her by the collar and hoisted her up. Montparnasse was glaring at her.

"Look at me when I talk to you." He spat. She slapped his hand off, and received a clout to the side of her head.

"As I was saying," he cooed in a falsely sweet voice as she waited patiently for him to shut up, "He had a deal with your father, did he not? Your father was not supposed to see you again."

"Excellent, Montparnasse, you have a greater memory than a fish. Would you like a reward?" Eponine drawled, removing his hand again from her dress.

"Guess what, Eponine?" He ignored her jibe. "I'm not your father."

She bit her tongue to hold back the myriad of cheeky responses that presented themselves. Why was Montparnasse so thick-headed? She could smell a moderate amount of alcohol on his breath, but he seemed fairly sober.

"That is correct, Montparnasse, you are not my father. Can you let me sleep now?" She was not even trying to be defiant, she was just tired.

"I don't think so, Eponine. What I mean to say is, your upper class friend never paid _me _to stay away from you." All of a sudden, his hands were at her waist. He chuckled. "Your customer has been feeding you well, I see." He squeezed her waist, which had filled out some during Eponine's time with Enjolras. Her body now had more womanly curves, something that Montparnasse had definitely noticed.

She squirmed. "I had no _customers._ I have some dignity left." She hissed, trying to pry his hands off her.

"The deal was that the Thenardier family could no longer claim you. But I am not a Thenardier." He pressed his cold lips to her neck and she shuddered in disgust. "What's the matter, 'Ponine? Already think yourself high and mighty like a bourgeois?"

His hands wandered up and down her sides and she started to writhe. Montparnasse did not usually scare her, but she had not entirely regained her wiry strength yet. If Montparnasse was intoxicated, it did not indicate a good outcome for her.

"Let me go, Montparnasse." She commanded. He did not oblige. "Let me go. _Let me go._" She started to scream.

Montparnasse pressed a hand against her mouth and leaned against her legs, trapping them, preventing the way she had disabled him previous times: with a kick to the groin. "Shut up, you little slut." He muttered.

She tried biting his hand, but it was in vain. He continued to grope her, chuckling appreciatively at where she had gained a healthy weight. "Maybe a few days with square meals did you good, Eponine." He whispered, and she thrashed in response. Her eyes were becoming wider and angrier and she grabbed his arms and tried to force him off her. She wanted not to cry, but tears started rolling of their own accord.

_Enjolras. _She could not help thinking the name over and over. Had she really grown accustomed to him saving her in such a short amount of time? She cursed herself for ever visiting Café Musain. Never before would she have expected anyone to save her. But now she could not help wishing Enjolras would appear and tear Montparnasse off. And she hated herself for wishing that.

"MONTPARNASSE."

A voice rang from a few streets away. Montparnasse tore his lips from her neck and looked around. Eponine opened her eyes. She could swear that was the voice of her father. She heard footsteps from around the corner and her breathing stopped. If her father found her again, her life might as well be over. Montparnasse smirked, and Eponine grew aware of his intentions.

"No, no, please Montparnasse, please," she begged in a low voice. "Let me go. Do not let him know I was here. _Please._"

"Why shouldn't I? Why don't you deserve to be back in his care?" He sneered.

"What have I _ever _done to you that's so heinous that you would want to hurt me so? We were friends once! Montparnasse, please, for whatever we used to have and whatever remains of that, please let me go." The footsteps were getting louder and Eponine could make out the blurry silhouettes of her father and the rest of Patron-Minette.

"Montparnasse, get over here!" The gruff voice called again. "What are you doing?"

Montparnasse looked into Eponine's eyes, all cruelty gone. She saw her chance. "You are not this terrible. You would not throw me back to him, you—" She gasped as he suddenly threw her back to the ground. About to protest, he cast her an insistent look, and he realized that he was releasing her.

"What've you got there, Montparnasse?" Thenardier called. He was now just a few meters away. Eponine curled away, but not before shooting a grateful smile at Montparnasse, who just nodded curtly.

"Just a whore," Montparnasse grumbled, quickly joining the gang. "She is of no importance."

Thenardier nodded, and Patron-Minette continued on their mission.

Once they were gone, Eponine let out a sigh of relief and lay her cheek against the cold stone of the ground to calm herself. More tears spilled down her cheeks. She had just been confronted with the possibility of life as a Thenardier again, and she was terrified. She closed her eyes, and dreamt of Enjolras finding her and comforting her. But no one came.

A/N: Well, there was an overwhelming request for more angst. There you go.


	19. Chapter 19

"Watch where you're going, girl!" A plump lady snapped at Eponine as the latter bumped into her in haste.

"Sorry." Eponine mumbled. It had been five days since she had returned to the streets, and she was looking worse for wear. Her nice dress had a few tears and was covered in dust. Her hair was becoming knotted and dull. Her skin was getting darker again from sun exposure. Only her eyes had remained the same: bright and fiery.

"Wait up a moment," the woman paused and surveyed the girl. "You look familiar."

"Yeah, probably." She muttered. If this was someone she had once stolen from, she should better start running now.

"You were at General LeMarque's house a few days ago, you were!"

"What? No I wasn't." Eponine snapped.

"Yes, yes you were!" The woman grinned at her successful recognition, then frowned in confusion. "But what are you doing here? Thought that revolutionary boy was takin' care of you!"

Eponine shuffled her feet and scowled. "No, Madame, I do not know what you are talking about. If you please—", She quickly turned on her heel and set off down the street, ignoring the woman's calls after her. She turned a corner, then stopped. The woman did not seem like the type to follow her for information.

Eponine realized with a sinking heart that even though she was successfully evading Les Amis, she could not avoid the ramifications of their little stunt at the rally. Peasants were recognizing her, asking about Enjolras. She had shoved the handsome boy from her waking mind; he only appeared in her dreams now, when she could not help it. She would wake up every morning furious with herself for subconsciously wanting to be back with him, and would try to shun more dreams of him. But she failed every time. Every night, he came to her, apologizing. Sometimes he would get angry and tell her all the mistakes she had made. Sometimes he pleaded with her to come back, and Eponine would turn away in disgust of the usually stoic leader showing such vulnerability. Sometimes she could hear the jeers of both Les Amis and street folk, mocking her for her life.

May had become June, and the weather was warming. But the seasonal change that should have brought happiness had not done so. From what she heard on the street, General LeMarque's illness was worsening, and it did not look like he would survive the week. Eponine knew what this meant for Enjolras's revolution. It would soon occur, and then fail. Though his rallies attracted the destitute and inspired cries of enthusiasm among them, they would go home to their starving families and not mention any intention to join the fight. She doubted Enjolras or any of his friends knew this. They were probably still planning obsessively. She could just picture Enjolras now, scribbling a new speech on paper or—

She internally screamed, trying to banish this type of thought from her mind. Why was it so hard to forget this person? He was just a boy. A boy who had shown her kindness at one point. A boy who had bought her new clothes. A boy who had kissed her when she needed comfort. A boy who _no longer mattered. _

* * *

"He's looking morose again," Combeferre noted to Joly. "Do you think something's wrong? Has there been any word of an epidemic?" He trusted his hypochondriac friend to be the type that tracked that sort of thing.

"There are always illnesses spreading," Joly muttered under his breath, looking around suspiciously. "But no, that is not what I believe to be plaguing our dear leader."

They were discussing Enjolras, who was currently hunched over a piece of parchment. He was not writing anything. He just stared at the paper, tapping his fingers on the table and looking glum.

"Then what do you believe? Something is not right. You would think that with Paris at such a boiling point, he would not be sitting alone in a café!"

"Combeferre, my friend, is it really so hard to see? Think for a moment when this behavior of his started." Joly urged.

Combeferre thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Less than a week ago, I would guess."

"And who left him standing alone at LeMarque's house less than a week ago?" Joly prompted. Combeferre's eyes took on a look of realization.

"You think this is caused by Eponine?" Combeferre looked back at Enjolras, who seemed to have given up on whatever he had been writing.

"Of course. A woman's love can be one of life's greatest joys, but also a curse." He said sagely. Combeferre shook his head.

"It is so unlike Enjolras, though. For all his lectures on avoiding distractions…" His voice trailed off as Enjolras approached them.

"Did you get a lot of work done?" Joly asked, pretending they had not noticed his gloominess.

"Uh, yes, indeed." Enjolras answered with an obvious lie. He did not feel like admitting that he was becoming weak-minded.

"Excellent, then—" Joly was going to continue until he noticed Enjolras had already turned away to leave. "Well, I'm quite sorry my thoughts are not of importance to you." He said, miffed.

Enjolras looked back. Combeferre noted how dead his eyes seemed. He might still have been capable of giving a rousing speech, as he had proven earlier that day, but his overall demeanor was gloomy. He looked more tired than ever before, and his lips seemed permanently turned downward in a frown.

"I'm sorry, my friend," Enjolras apologized half-heartedly. "I must be going."

"Where to, Enjolras? I would assume all your business lies in this café." Combeferre told him with just a hint of a tease in his voice.

"Then you would assume incorrectly." Enjolras snapped, with no humor in his tone. He left, leaving Joly and Combeferre more confused than ever.

"What's all that about?" Courfeyrac joined them, also looking to where Enjolras had stormed out. Combeferre shook his head sadly.

"Enjolras is not himself. We believe—"

"Eponine?" Courfeyrac guessed. He had enough experience with ladies to know the symptoms they could cause.

"Yes, how did you—?"

Courfeyrac shrugged. "It is not hard to see, especially in the café. Remember when she would be here with him, and they would just sit in the corner and she would advise him? He misses that."

Joly frowned. "Why did she leave, again?"

Combeferre and Courfeyrac's faces fell and Courfeyrac looked upset. "She left because of what we said at the rally." He said curtly.

Combeferre caught sight of little Gavroche sneaking in. "Gavroche!" He called. Gavroche happily scampered over.

"How're you doing today, m'sieurs?" The little boy asked with a mock bow.

Courfeyrac continued explaining the situation to Joly in hushed tones, and Combeferre leaned down to talk to Gavroche.

"Gavroche, have you seen your sister recently?"

Gavroche raised his eyebrows. "Which sister do you speak of?"

"Eponine." Combeferre wished to roll his eyes.

Gavroche studied Combeferre for a moment before answering. "Why do you want to know?" The truth was, he had seen Eponine just the day before. He had found her wandering aimlessly through the slums. She had been alarmed when she saw him. She told him how she had been trying to avoid Les Amis, and she was afraid he would tell Enjolras of her whereabouts.

"Can you get her to return here?" Combeferre assumed he did in fact know where Eponine was.

"'Fraid not, monsieur. Unless you want me to tie her up and drag her here, she's staying put."

"Staying put _where_?" Combeferre pressed. Courfeyrac and Joly had finished their conversation and were listening in.

Gavroche shrugged. "Can't say."

Courfeyrac remembered the stories she had told of her life in the slums. "She is safe, though?" He asked in alarm.

Gavroche looked at his older friend, his light eyes unusually serious. "Can't say." He repeated slowly. This time, he genuinely did not know the answer to the question. At any moment since he had seen her, Thenardier could have found her. Joly looked at his friends worriedly.

"Should we look for her?"

"She doesn't want to be found." Gavroche was becoming annoyed. As much as he wanted to see his sister safe and sound, she had been incredibly hurt when he had talked to her. She had made it quite clear that she did not wish to see any of Les Amis again, and he was going to protect that wish.

* * *

Enjolras stopped for a moment, soaking in the midday sun. The day was bright and clear, a welcome change after a rainy spring. He kicked a pebble in the road, releasing some of his aggravation. Everywhere he went, he saw Eponine. Every girl with a dark head of hair became her in his eyes. Any loud female voice was heard by him as Eponine telling him a story of her childhood. She would not go away.

"It's him! It's him!" He heard an excited, chirpy voice behind him. He looked around and nearly collided with a very small girl who was dragging her mother along behind her. "Mama, I told you it was him."

Her mother, a thin, weary looking woman, slapped the child's hands and admonished her. "Don't be bothering the man, Elise!" She looked at Enjolras with desperation in her eyes. "I'm dreadfully sorry, monsieur."

"But Mama!" The little girl was irrepressible. "He's the one who talked to us last week! He's going to marry the pretty girl in the purple dress." Her eyes became dreamy, a stark contrast to her mother's hawk-like stare of disapproval.

Enjolras felt a drop in his stomach, but waved it off. It would not do any good for his reputation if he started yelling at little children.

"Hush, child!" The mother reprimanded harshly. "One does not say such things." She turned to look back at Enjolras. "Forgive her, monsieur," she begged. "She does not know her place."

Enjolras smiled, trying to ease her obvious fear. "No harm done, Madame." He realized she was looking at him curiously, as if wondering whether or not to tell him something.

The little girl, Elise, had already become distracted again and had started pulling her mother in a different direction.

"Monsieur, the girl you were with several days ago—" She started to say, and Enjolras did not know how exactly to clear up her impending misconception. "I saw her in the streets of Saint Michel around the same time."

Enjolras blinked, unfeeling. She continued. "Everyone knows her name and face around there, and most would not dare touch her, but I could have sworn I saw her accosted in alley one night."

At this, Enjolras's stomach fell.

The woman could sense his coldness and stood up straighter, starting to give in to her daughter's tugs. "I just thought you should know, monsieur. A girl like that…" she shook her head. "Miracle she's not at the docks yet." She finally followed her daughter away.

Enjolras's dooming thoughts were immediately interrupted by more voices directed at him.

"Enjolras!" Courfeyrac yelled. With an impatient groan, Enjolras turned to see Joly, Courfeyrac, and Combeferre jogging towards him, and Gavroche running off in a different direction to join some other street boys.

"What is it now?" Enjolras snapped. His brain was busy exploding with theories and horrific thoughts of Eponine being hurt. He should have known something like this could happen. His innate instinct to protect her should have predicted this. She would probably murder him if she ever heard of him think of her in this way, but that did not matter. Who had accosted her? Her father, or her father's friends? His blood ran cold.

Courfeyrac looked a little taken aback at the bite in his friend's voice, but continued. "Enjolras, Gavroche knows where Eponine is."

A mere hour ago, Enjolras would have responded harshly and sent his friends away. He had not wanted to hear of the girl anymore. Everything had changed in the last few moments. "Where is she?" He demanded.

"He won't tell us," said Combeferre breathlessly. "We thought you could get the information out of him."

Enjolras looked around desperately for the boy, but Gavroche had been absorbed into a throng of shouting boys.

"Enjolras, what is the matter? You look as if you've seen a ghost!" Joly exclaimed as Enjolras swallowed nervously.

Enjolras shook his head. "I do not think Eponine is safe," was all he could choke out.

"Yes, we thought so too…that is why we came to find you." Courfeyrac informed him.

"No," Enjolras looked at Courfeyrac seriously. "I _know _that she is not safe."

All of a sudden, shouts came from Gavroche's group. Gavroche reemerged and barreled towards the ABC boys, shouting incoherently.

"Should we look for her?" Joly suggested for the second time.

"Enjolras!" Gavroche shouted. Enjolras brushed him aside.

"She'll hate us even more than she currently does." He remarked.

"Damn it, wouldn't that be better than finding her dead?" Combeferre asked the leader.

"Enjolras!" Gavroche continued to nag.

"Combeferre is right, and please do not think we have not seen how much you miss her." Said Joly.

"I have not _missed _her," Enjolras snapped. Combeferre groaned. "There is a difference between missing her and not wanting her dead."

"Enjolras!" This time it was Courfeyrac's voice. He was holding onto Gavroche's arm and had gone pale.

"_What?"_

"General LeMarque is dead." Gavroche announced.

A/N: Sorry for the late update and crappy chapter! I was a little uninspired this week but I've been in a post-Oscars frenzy of emotion and I knew I needed to get this out. (Because guys, how INCREDIBLE were the Les Mis cast?) I used an idea submitted by a reviewer for this episode because I really liked it, so if anyone else has any suggestions (when should E&E reunite, how romantic should it be, etc.) PLEASE tell me! Love always!


	20. Chapter 20

"Courfeyrac, do you have the guns?" Enjolras asked urgently, looking around for his friends. They had rushed back to the café, Gavroche in tow, with the news of LeMarque's death. Enjolras could feel his blood boiling with adrenaline and he felt more confident than ever. He had called the people to arms. Madame Hucheloup had already begun working on a flag for them. Plans and diagrams lay scattered on the tables and there was an air of giddy excitement in the room.

Courfeyrac nodded. "There are more coming, as well." His face broke into a grin. "It's happening."

Enjolras allowed a rare smile to cross his face. "It's happening." He confirmed. Everything seemed to stand still for a moment. The loud cheers, the yells of approval, they were drowned out by a single thought in Enjolras's mind: _Eponine._ Soon a barricade would arise, and Eponine would be on the safe side of it. And then he would never see her again.

He shook his head. No, he would see her again if they were successful. He would make everything up to her then. But she could be in danger right now, and he was stuck here, finally going through with his dreams. He simply could not leave that behind right now. What had he always told his friends? _No distractions. _Exiting now would make him an absolute hypocrite. He was fighting for people like Eponine, for the old men who were kicked on the street, for the women forced to raise children by themselves because their husbands had been thrown in jail, for the young girls who could, at any moment, be assaulted…And now his thoughts had circled back to Eponine.

Looking around again, he saw Gavroche slipping through the crowd and out the door. Probably on his way to find Eponine and tell her the news. Gavroche knew where the girl was, and for a brief second, Enjolras considered following him. But then Feuilly started questioning him about ammunition, and he was occupied again.

* * *

Eponine heard a ruckus in the street. She groaned. Had Les Amis set up another rally? Surely the people must be getting tired of the same, repetitive speeches. Sure, most of the street girls she knew had seen Enjolras and were immediately smitten with his sharp features and large ideas. These girls, about her age, would whisper and giggle and pretend that they would someday meet him and marry him. Eponine would sneer, doing nothing for her reputation, and resist the urge to brag to these empty-headed girls that she had already slept in the revolutionary's bed. Of course, in her hypothetical confrontation, she would leave out the part when she had not actually _slept _with him, but still…it would make them go green with jealousy.

She heard more shouts and a woman started crying. Her eyebrows knit in confusion. What in God's name was going on? She emerged from her alley shelter and wove through crowds of people, looking for a source to the hubbub. She found none. It was everywhere, the noise was everywhere. She tried asking several people what was going on, and got pushed aside. She huffed.

"Eponine!" A voice called. Her heart leapt when she saw her younger brother running towards her.

"Gavroche! What is happening?" She asked, grabbing the boy's arms. He was sweating and looked like he had a great deal.

"Eponine," he panted. "Eponine…"

"Out with it!" She urged.

"Eponine, General LeMarque died."

Eponine hesitated, not quite grasping the full extent of the importance of this event.

"Eponine, it's starting. The revolution. Enjolras's revolution." He looked at her with wide eyes, eyes so similar to her own. They held knowledge deeper than she thought possible.

"Gavroche, listen to me. You stay out of there. They're going to die, every single one of them." She kept her voice harsh to mask the pain in her heart. She didn't want her words to be true. She would have given anything for the words not be true. "And I will _not _lose you."

"Don't you worry about me, 'Ponine!" He grinned. "You have other things to worry about!"

"I—what?" She asked, puzzled.

"Enjolras! He hasn't been the same since you left, everyone's noticed! His speeches haven't been as good and he looks sad all the time."

"You didn't tell him where I am, did you?" She nearly screeched.

He shook his head. "No, 'Ponine, I kept my promise. But Courfeyrac and Combeferre were about to come looking for you before they heard LeMarque died. I think they miss you too." His eyes held a mischievous twinkle. "I think everyone does. Especially Enjolras."

She took a deep breath. She had wanted to stop caring. She had wanted, more than anything, to _stop caring. _"You think I should go to him, don't you?"

Gavroche did not hesitate; he nodded vigorously. "Please, 'Ponine." He scampered off before she could answer, probably off to alert more of the news.

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time Eponine had found all the materials she needed. She disposed off her corset in a side street and stripped off her now dirty dress. The material, stretched and worn thinner by now, ripped apart in her hands. She used strips of it to bandage her breasts, flattening them. She had acquired, by not-quite-legal means, a mens' shirt, trousers, and coat. Putting them on, she felt transformed. No one would look at her now. She would be just another street rat. No men would try to buy her, no upper class ladies would sniff at her bad manners. Now that she looked like a boy, she could get away with anything, like, say, joining a revolution.

* * *

"Tomorrow is the procession, so tomorrow is the day we act!" Enjolras announced to a crowd that waited with bated breath on his every word. "We shall build our barricade upon his tomb. The people will rise, and France shall once again be a free Republic!"

Cheers erupted.

Enjolras descended from his platform and lay his hands on a table, thinking. Time was running out to do all the things in life that would soon be out of reach. Time was running out to see Eponine again. Surely, she must have heard the news by now. Had she not come to her senses and realized that he had done nothing wrong? He had not even been the one to bring up her presence at the rally! She had escaped from him and in doing so, had escaped what his friends had tried to make her out as. So now, when no one would even remember that day, why was she still staying away?

"Enjolras!" Marius hurried in. Enjolras realized that his friend had not been at his speech before.

"Marius, you're late." He said curtly.

"Yes, yes, I'm quite sorry." The young man did not look sorry at all. He looked mad with fear and worry. "It's just that—"

"Spit it out." Enjolras snapped. He did not have time for Marius's foolishness.

"I spent time with my Cosette today and," Marius could see that Enjolras was quickly losing patience, so he shortened his tale. "And I do not know if I can go through with this."

"With the revolution?" Said Enjolras flatly.

Marius nodded mutely.

Enjolras shook his head. "We would be honored to have you in our ranks, Marius," he said through gritted teeth. "But if you truly cannot—"

"But I do not want to abandon you, my friend!" Marius nearly wailed. "And now that I am here, I see no way to return to Cosette at all to wish her farewell!" He sat down, holding his head in his hands. "I need Eponine." He mumbled.

At his last words, Enjolras froze and stared at Marius. "What did you just say?"

"If only Eponine was here, she could take a letter from me to tell my beloved that if I die, she should know that I love her."

Enjolras was overcome with the desire to punch Marius in the face. "You never had a right to treat Eponine like your servant in the first place," he spat. "And I would take it kindly if you would be sensible enough to not mention her at the moment."

Marius, with a face of utter embarrassment, realized that he had forgotten Enjolras's relationship with her. "Oh, that's right…"

"Sort out your business with Cosette however you see fit, and if we do not see you tomorrow, so be it."

* * *

She did not hide in the shadows as she normally did. She had freedom now, as a boy, to do whatever she pleased. She walked confidently, but her heart was trembling. What would she say to Enjolras? Would he even let her join? Would he want to see her at all? Had she broken his heart? Just a few months ago, she would have not believed that the passionate, yet stony leader even had a heart capable of romance.

She knew better now. Now that she had opened the floodgates on her feelings again, he was all she thought about. He did matter. Why had she blocked that thought out? She had not expected to be confronted with losing him so soon. She couldn't lose him, not now. Her anger at what had happened between them remained, and just because she had decided to go back to him did not mean she would forget that. The fact remained that if he was going to throw his life away in the coming days, she had to tell him the truth. That she loved him.

A/N: Oh my god, I'm so incredibly sorry for the second short, bad chapter in a row. I've had possibly the worst week of my life, and I feel terrible but I really wanted to update. And again, I come to you with a plea: What should happen? I got some great suggestions from the last chapter, but I'm still not sure. Should they fight again, should Eponine stay, and most importantly, should they live at the end? I'm so dreadfully sorry to be so needy, really I am, I do not like being this person. But I PROMISE that if I get some juicy ideas, I'll make sure you guys get a really long, good chapter by next week. PROMISE.

P.S. SORRY I UPLOADED THE WRONG CHAPTER BEFORE. I'm really embarrassed now. Oh my god.


	21. Chapter 21

Café Musain was crowded with students, workers, and various busybodies who wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Enjolras, in a meeting with Courfeyrac and Bahorel, stood in the center of the building and nodded enthusiastically to what Courfeyrac was telling him. All of Les Amis seemed to be occupied with preparations, giving Eponine the perfect opportunity to sneak inside. She slinked through the crowd, pulling her cap even farther over her face and keeping an eye on Enjolras. Now that she had infiltrated, she was not sure exactly what to do. She needed to speak to Enjolras as soon as possible, but should she brazenly approach him, or wait for him to spot her? She couldn't help but stare at the boy. Where he was right now, this was his element. His golden curls fell in his face but he brushed them aside with confidence. Confidence in everything. This was what he had planned for. He thought he was about to create a new French Republic.

Eponine saw Enjolras's expression turn dark in response to his friend's words. She peered around a stocky gentleman to try to understand what was going on. Courfeyrac looked insistent, and Enjolras was tapping his fingers, anxiously awaiting a chance to interrupt.

She strained her ears and heard a bit of their conversation.

"…several people today, already…looks suspicious…." She could only make out Courfeyrac's words during very brief lulls in the noise of the café.

"There is nothing I can do about it." Enjolras's voice carried farther, and she could understand it all. "It's too late. Everyone's choices have already been made."

_Whose choices? _Eponine wondered. What was Enjolras incapable of achieving this time?

"Maybe she does not have a choice anymore." Courfeyrac snapped. "Have you considered that?" His voice was rising in anger.

"I assure you, I have considered everything," said Enjolras coolly.

"I do not believe you have."

"Where is this coming from, mon ami?" Enjolras asked in exasperation, throwing up his hands. "I am trying my very best _not _to be distracted right now."

"Yes, well, you will have a hard time bringing the masses back when they realize she is gone." Courfeyrac replied. Eponine's stomach dropped to the floor as she realized what they were talking about.

"The people do not care for such trivial things. The people want—the people _need _freedom." Enjolras said.

Courfeyrac shook his head. "I guess I am not as good at persuading you as she is, or you would see how wrong you are."

Eponine saw her chance.

"What does the fearless leader need persuasion of?" She asked after she had bounded over. The three men whipped around, taking in the sight of what could have been a street boy. Surprisingly, Courfeyrac was the first to recognize her, his face breaking into a delighted smile.

"Eponine!"

Bahorel's jaw dropped, while Enjolras's tightened.

Courfeyrac looked like he was about to embrace her, and Eponine held up a hand to stop him. "Do not think I have forgiven you for your little stunt." She hissed. Courfeyrac recoiled. Eponine locked eyes with Enjolras. "I do not want any of you to think that I have come back to apologize for leaving."

"Then why are you here?" Enjolras asked, keeping his voice calm.

"Just because you are a group if imbeciles, does not mean you deserve to be slaughtered." She bit. She had thought that when she finally spoke to him again it would not have been fraught with tension so soon. She turned back to Courfeyrac. "What does he need persuasion of?"

Courfeyrac looked nervous. "It seems irrelevant now, Eponine."

"What was it?" She demanded.

The young man looked sheepish. "Several people have approached me in the last few days, asking where Enjolras's street girl was, and if he had thrown her back in the slums. They became angry when they thought he…_we _had lied to them." He hastily corrected himself.

Enjolras's eyes burned with fury and Eponine took a deep breath to calm herself. "That is none of my fault. You got yourself into that mess." The words _Enjolras's street girl _echoed in her head. This was precisely the reason for her anger. She did not want that identity.

Courfeyrac hung his head. "Yes, Eponine, that is what Enjolras has been telling me as well."

Bahorel scurried off without a word as Enjolras placed a hand on Courfeyrac's shoulder. "Please leave." He said quietly. Courfeyrac did not need to be told twice.

Eponine and Enjolras stared at each other for a moment before words began to fly.

"Of all the times to return, Eponine, how is this the most convenient one?"

"When have I ever been convenient?"

"I hope you realize that I will not let you behind the barricade."

"And I hope you realize that I will not take your orders like a soldier."

Enjolras paused, furious. He would _not _let her disobey this command. He would not risk her life.

Eponine stared at him, a lump building in her throat. She wanted to tell him everything. She wanted to tell him of Montparnasse, of her return to thievery, of Gavroche's insistence. She needed to tell him everything before it was too late.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. Eponine stared in surprise.

"What?"

"I'm sorry for my friends' actions. I'm sorry I did not stop them. I never meant for that to happen, and I was never using you. I apologize for calling you an asset." He breathed out. The admission looked almost painful to him and Eponine covered her hand with her mouth to contain a pitying giggle.

Enjolras was not used to admitting he was wrong, he was not used to talking to women, and above all, he was not used to admitting he was wrong to women.

"I'm happy you're back." He looked downward.

She bit her lip, thinking, then flung her arms around his neck. "You needed me back." She whispered in his ear.

* * *

From the outside, it looked like the past weeks of Eponine missing had never happened. With her coat slung over the back of a chair, she sat hunched over a table with Enjolras in the corner, as usual, but seemed to be shaking her head a lot more often than nodding. It looked like she did not approve of the majority of his plans. Les Amis watched as she pointed to a piece of parchment and shook her head vehemently, and Enjolras rolled his eyes. Eponine just looked at him as he scratched something off, and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek when he had finished.

Every so often he would set aside whatever paper they were poring over. He would take Eponine's hand and listen as she spoke quietly to him. Sometimes he would laugh, and other times he looked livid. She rested her hand on his shoulder and they surmised she told him soothing words, because he would drop the angry expression.

Combeferre shook his head. "I can only wonder what they are talking about."

"I don't want to wonder." Joly said, eyeing an angry purple mark on Eponine's arm that looked suspiciously like a handprint.

The crowd was quickly filtering out. Night was setting, but Enjolras had not noticed. He continued to review plans with Eponine, and it was not until Jehan pointed out the sudden quiet in the room that it was brought to the couple's attention. Enjolras cleared his throat when he realized that only the members of Les Amis were still in the room, along with Eponine, who did not blush at all.

"It's past midnight, Enjolras." Combeferre said. "Tomorrow…" He could not finish the sentence. Tomorrow was LeMarque's funeral, and the day they would act.

Enjolras stood up, nodding. "Tomorrow we shall discover what God has in store for us." He looked down at Eponine, who was starting to nod off.

"You need to sleep," Joly advised him. Enjolras looked from Eponine to his friends.

"I will stay here for the night."

Combeferre and Joly looked to each other in surprise, thinking Enjolras had gone mad. "Enjolras, you might never have a chance to go home again if you remain here." He said quietly. They were planning to meet early on in the morning before the procession. If Enjolras slept here, he was risking never saying goodbye to the places he knew.

Enjolras shrugged. "There is nothing of importance there."

Eponine's head was lolling onto her shoulder. Courfeyrac looked from Eponine to Enjolras to Combeferre, and shrug-nodded his consent. The group of boys slowly retreated from the café, saying their goodnights.

When they were alone in the empty café, Enjolras turned to Eponine. She looked remarkably alert again and she smirked. "I was pretending to fall asleep. I knew it would make them give in quickly."

Enjolras laughed. "Very sneaky."

She shrugged. "You should not be surprised." She stared at him. "This is it."

"This is what?"

"This is the last night before the storm. Nothing will be the same after tomorrow, will it?" As much as she wanted to, she did not look away from him. She did not need words of comfort; she needed his honest response.

"No, I suppose it won't." He hesitated, wondering whether or not to say the rest of his thought. She nodded encouragingly. "We'll either live in a Republic…or be dead."

She did not shed any tears, she just nodded again. He had said what she needed to hear. "Which would you rather?" She teased.

"The former." He did not reciprocate her light tone and her smile slipped from her face.

"I'm sorry." Eponine whispered after a moment of tense silence.

"Whatever for?"

"For leaving. I suppose I should have let you explain yourself. I do not like sticking around those who hurt me." Her apology was more defensive than his had been.

"Yes, maybe you should have." She looked up at him, a pout forming on her face, but he just smiled and pulled her closer, pressing his lips to hers. She grinned against his mouth and she wound her arms around his neck and moved to sit in his lap. He tore her cap from her head and her dark waves cascaded over her face.

"Enjolras," She pressed a kiss to his cheek, "I" another kiss to his lips, "need to tell you something." She broke the frenzied wave of kisses and he groaned, moving his hand to her waist.

She paused with her mouth open, waiting for the words to come. He tapped his foot impatiently. "Yes, Eponine?"

She shook herself out of her reverie and held his face in her hands. "I love you."

* * *

Their hands were everywhere. She could feel him running his hands over her upper body while she scrambled to unbutton his shirt, their lips still pressed together. She slipped out of her oversized trousers and let them fall to the floor unceremoniously. He pulled off his own shirt upon realizing her struggle with the buttons. He led her to the back of the building, where a few cots had been set up in preparation for treating those wounded in tomorrow's impending battle.

She had been expecting to collapse there with him. Instead, he slowly sat down with her across from him and held her hands.

"Eponine, do you really want to do this?"

She met his eyes and smiled. "Without a doubt."

He took a deep breath and pulled her mens' shirt over her head, exposing her naked torso. He very gently touched a large, fading bruise on her rib, underneath her breast. He frowned, worried as to how and when this blow had been delivered. She shivered at his cool touch and took his hands. "Do not worry." She whispered. She lay down on the small bed.

All the haste was gone. Eponine had expected this experience to happen quickly, what with their deadline fast approaching with the morning light. They moved slowly, savoring each moment. In a few hours, all opportunities for these moments would be gone, and they could only be glad that they were back in each others' arms for the time being.

"Oh, I forgot something." Enjolras mumbled as he pressed his face into her neck and her legs wrapped around his waist.

"What's that?" She was barely paying attention.

"I love you as well."

A/N: So I'm really not good at writing M-rated scenes, so you guys can let your imaginations go crazy with this one. Thank you for the amazing reviews on the last chapter and I just have to say _wow. _Guys, I have _so _much planned for the next chapter thanks to your ideas so just wait! I'm writing about four different endings to this story so it'll depend on the reactions I get which one I'll go with. XOXO, Love always!


	22. Chapter 22

"We still need more ammunition!"

"Do you think the government knows our plan?"

"How much wine do we have stored?"

The atmosphere was chaotic. The group had met just before the break of dawn to discuss the final plans. It had been decided to move their headquarters to Corinth, their favorite wine shop, instead of the Musain. This decision had brought even more stress upon them, and now Joly and Feuilly were barking instructions at several working men they had paid to move the hospital materials to the new location. It was still very early in the morning, and everyone except Enjolras was still brushing sleep from their eyes, though this only enforced Enjolras's reputation as a 'statue'. They all knew he could not have gotten much rest the night before.

* * *

Enjolras had woken to complete silence, and it was unknown as to how this was possible. He sat up, brushing against the long hair of the girl beside him. Looking down at her, his expression was a mixture of affection and fear. He and Eponine had expressed their love that night, but now dawn was coming and it could be their last. Eponine lay on her stomach, her face turned away from him, her bare back rising and falling with her slow breaths. Enjolras traced a finger down her spine and she shivered.

"Mmmmm." She mumbled, squeezing her eyes shut even more. "Enjolras?"

"I should hope it would not be anyone else." He said with a smile.

She drew the blanket around her body, covering herself, and sat up slowly. "Is it morning?"

"Not yet." He hastily threw his clothes on and picked up Eponine's, tossing them to the bed. "The meeting starts before daybreak."

He expected her to groan, or to make some insolent comment on his plans. She didn't. She just nodded and slipped back into her mens' clothes. He eyed her dubiously, and she noticed.

"What?"

He shook his head. "I did not expect you to be so polite."

She frowned jokingly. "I can be disrespectful if you wish, monsieur." She teased.

"No, this is quite alright." He found her cap lying on the ground and handed it to her. She put it back on the cot.

"I don't need to disguise myself just yet. We're the only ones here, and I believe it is a little late to fool you into thinking I'm a boy." She wrapped her arms around his neck.

He scooted a little closer to her and wound his arm around her waist. She kissed him softly, and then, surprising him again, stood up and walked away. He looked after her as she gazed out the window at the silent street. In the waning moonlight, he thought he could see a tear roll down her cheek. When he looked again, it was gone, and Eponine turned back to face him.

"Courfeyrac and Marius are on their way." She informed him, gesturing out the window. "They won't be here for a few minutes though."

Enjolras stood up, trying in vain to fix his rumpled hair. "Fix the bed," he told her, a commanding tone in his voice. She balked at the harshness. "They don't need to know what happened last night." He explained. She frowned.

"Is that really what you are concerned about?"

"Do you really want Marius knowing we slept together?" He lobbed back. She shrugged.

"I don't care."

"It doesn't matter. Let's just fix this place up."

"Everyone will know what happened anyway." She grumbled under her breath, straightening the sheets.

Enjolras went back into the front room of the café and took out the last of his prepared speeches. There were still corrections to be made…there was always something that could be said better. A few moments later he was joined by Eponine, who sat down wordlessly beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder as he worked, and Eponine dozed off with a small smile on her face. This was how Les Amis found them.

* * *

"Stop looking at me like that," Enjolras snapped. Without looking, he could tell that Courfeyrac was throwing him mocking glances. Courfeyrac jumped in surprise at the sudden order.

"Sorry, mon ami, I was just looking for Eponine. Have you seen her?" Despite the hectic environment, his voice was light and jaunty.

"No, not for some time." It was later in the morning now. Their supplies had been moved and they were now preparing to leave for Lemarque's funeral procession.

"Is she coming with us?" Courfeyrac inquired.

"Of course not." Enjolras snapped. How moronic of his friends to think that he would bring Eponine anywhere close to the barricade.

A moment of silence passed between them.

"Have you told her that?" Courfeyrac finally broke it.

"I'm sure she knows." Enjolras brushed the issue aside.

"Are you ready to leave her?" Courfeyrac asked. Enjolras was getting annoyed at this interrogation.

"What do you think?" He retorted. "Of course not. But it must be done. She won't pay for any crimes we commit."

"Enjolras! The procession is starting!" A distant voice called. Enjolras looked at Courfeyrac and nodded.

"Let's go."

* * *

The procession was quite a spectacle to see. The large tomb was guarded by well-dressed military officers and the turnout for the event was incredible. There was an unspoken excitement among Les Amis as the National Guard approached. But for once, Enjolras was distracted.

After Courfeyrac had grilled him, he had decided he should find Eponine right then and tell her to get out. Enjolras excused himself from leadership duty, placing it upon Combeferre. He had searched all around the Corinth for the gamine, for any sign of her tanned face or baggy clothes. He had not found her, and now he was worried. He tried to remind himself that Eponine knew that he would not allow her at the barricade and she had left. This was the best possible scenario, but accepting it meant accepting that she had not seen it important enough to say goodbye to him. He felt a pang in his heart and tried to push away the emotions, but his mind grappled with what was worse: Eponine at the barricades, or Eponine not caring for him.

The silence seemed to thicken. Enjolras kept his eyes trained on Marius, who stood across the street with Joly and Bossuet. Just then, he felt Combeferre elbow him and he looked over to see Eponine beside Courfeyrac. It was clear Courfeyrac had been trying to signal him for several minutes; his eyes were going crazy. Eponine was focused on watching the tomb of Lemarque. Enjolras felt his blood boil. Eponine had ignored him and came anyway.

_Well, _he told himself, _I never explicitly told her to go away…_

He had just assumed she'd be smart enough to leave while she could. With another jolt of anger, he realized that she was barely hiding a smirk. He guessed she had spotted him watching her. Didn't she know that she was putting herself in danger? Didn't she care that she was putting him in the position where he would have to force her away?

* * *

If Les Amis had thought preparing was chaotic, it was nothing compared to actually building the barricade. Courfeyrac had called up to the people to throw down their furniture, and perhaps it was a good sign that they seemed to be supportive. But Enjolras just needed to find the girl who had slipped out of sight again. There were yells and shouts around him and he knew he was supposed to be leading them. He charged ahead, firing a few shots over his shoulder. Marius had somehow acquired a horse and was riding it towards Corinth, waving a red flag. Pausing for a moment, Enjolras took a quick account of his men. He could see Grantaire, Courfeyrac, Jehan…but no Eponine. All around, chairs and tables were falling from the apartments above. A barricade was slowly forming and despite his frustration, Enjolras felt a giddy sort of excitement. This was his revolution, coming to life.

An older man had joined them, tall and stocky. Enjolras had sent out a request for volunteer to spy on the National Guard and learn their plans. The last thing he wanted to be was caught off guard. The man had readily offered, telling them how he had served in the army in his youth. Enjolras had granted him permission, joyful that he was stirring even veterans with the spirit of revolution. The man left, and for the first time, it seemed quiet. The barricade was built, their plans were set, and now all there was left to do was wait. And find Eponine.

"Combeferre, have you seen Eponine?" Enjolras called as he starting pacing through the space. His friend shook his head and Enjolras sighed. He hadn't thought about what he was going to do when he actually found her. It was obvious that she needed to leave, but these could be his last moments with her, and he did not want her memory of him to be one of anger.

"Enjolras!" Marius shouted. Enjolras turned.

"Yes?"

Marius jogged over to the leader. "Are you looking for Eponine?"

Enjolras nodded slowly. "Yes, I am…"

Marius smiled. "She's inside the Corinth with Grantaire."

Enjolras felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Wonderful." He started to make his way to where Marius had indicated, but Marius stopped him.

"Enjolras, don't hurt her." Marius stated, concern in his voice.

"What? I was never going to hurt her!" Enjolras sputtered.

"I can tell she cares about you," Marius said, and Enjolras wanted to roll his eyes. How could he deduce such a thing and not realize that Eponine had been in love with him for years? The man was a fool.

"Yes, well, thank you Marius, I will take your advice into consideration." Enjolras said wryly. "Now please, I have much to do." He dismissed Marius and almost ran to Corinth. Eponine, still with her cap on and her hair hidden, sat with Grantaire over a cup of ale, laughing as if she hadn't a care in the world.

"Eponine!" He shouted, enunciating every syllable of her name in a loud voice. She looked over and her smile faltered a little bit. He marched to her table and grabbed her hand, pulling her up to her feet. Grantaire watched in silence.

"Have you been avoiding me?" He demanded, holding on to her wrists. She scowled and shook her head.

"What? No, of course not!"

He ground his teeth together. "Why are you still here?"

She looked utterly confused. "Because you're here!"

"I—" His protest stopped and he stared at her, open-mouthed. She looked so innocent right now, but he knew from many times before that she was cunning and very capable of deceiving him.

"Enjolras, what is the problem? I thought you would be busy organizing your men!" She ripped herself out of his grasp, rubbing her sore wrists.

He let a look of remorse for hurting her cross his face before he remembered his aggravation. "I thought you would be intelligent enough to leave, Eponine. How could you not foresee that I would not allow you here?"

"You're not allowing me here?" Her voice started to rise in anger.

"Of course not!" He snarled. Why could she not see that he was simply protecting her?

"Why not?" She demanded.

"Because I don't want you to die!" He shouted, and everyone in the surrounding area went quiet. Realizing the sudden attention he had, he lowered his voice and looked into her eyes. "This is not your fight, and you will not suffer any consequences."

"Your fight is my fight." Eponine said sincerely, her eyes going wide. "Enjolras, I have nowhere else to go. I have no one else to turn to." Her voice became a whisper. "I love you."

He tried to turn away to avert her gaze but she grabbed onto his arm. "If you think I'm leaving, you're wrong." Her tone hardened again in her resoluteness. Enjolras almost wanted to cry in frustration. He knew she was right, but that did not change his opinion on the matter.

"Eponine, if you get h—"

"I could say the same to you. My life is no more valuable than yours." She choked up. "You have people who will miss you."

As angry as he was, he could not turn away from her pain. He pulled her into his arms and held her there, his arms wrapped around her waist and one hand at the back of her neck.

"You two are _so _odd." Grantaire, already tipsy, cackled with laughter. Eponine just rolled her eyes.

* * *

"The spy is returning!"

Enjolras and Eponine rushed out. The man was urging the students not to shoot as he made his way over the barricade. Enjolras motioned for everyone to lower their weapons and helped the man to join them.

"Do you have information?" Enjolras asked quickly. He needed to reorganize as soon as possible. The man nodded.

"I have done as I said, I have counted them. I know when they will attack."

Everyone waited with bated breath.

"They will not attack tonight. They intend to starve you out. They will attack when it is light."

There was a ripple of murmurs as Les Amis started to debate what they should do next. Enjolras was about to discuss with Combeferre when Gavroche hopped down from a crate on the barricade.

"LIAR!"

They all looked around at the boy who was pointing an accusing finger at the man.

"What's the matter, Gavroche?" Courfeyrac asked.

Gavroche sauntered up to the man, smirking. "Good evening, Inspector." He turned back to the students. "I know this man, this is Inspector Javert!"

Almost immediately, they tackled Javert to the ground. Eponine's eyes were wide both with a lingering fear of the intimidating Inspector and pride for her younger brother.

She had not wanted Gavroche at the barricade, but just as Enjolras could not convince her to leave, so she met the same result with her kin. She was a bit more easygoing about it then Enjolras had been, mostly because she knew Gavroche very well and was not in the least bit surprised that he had joined the revolution. Enjolras still seemed to be accepting the fact that she was there, and she noticed how he kept her at arm's length at all times, and he would suddenly grab her as if to make sure she was still there, and breathing.

Gavroche explained how Javert was a spy for the other side and Enjolras ordered him to be tied up inside. Leaving Eponine's side for the first time since he discovered her, Enjolras had to help Grantaire and Combeferre subdue Javert, who threw Grantaire to the ground. His face becoming increasingly red, Enjolras grabbed a crowbar and brought it down on the spy, effectively knocking him out.

Eponine, who had run after him, jumped back. She watched Enjolras direct for Javert to be dragged away, a look of surprise in her eyes. She knew Enjolras's reputation; a savage, they say. Savagery was not something she was unfamiliar with. Seeing men hurt was no new sight to her and yet, something about such a display of violence from the beautiful Enjolras chilled her to the bone.

"Are you alright?" He was suddenly beside her, inspecting her for imagined signs of injury.

She swatted his hands away. "Of course I am, you needn't worry." He frowned at this suggestion and opened his mouth to explain why he worried for her for the hundredth time, but she shook her head, warning him not to.

"Not again, please."

He shut his mouth, but an angry and impatient look remained on his face. She reached out her hand to touch his cheek. She knew she was the reason for his anxiety, and she would have felt bad if he wasn't such a fool as to think that she would stay away in the first place. He brushed her hand away and a pang of hurt stabbed through her stomach. She was about to question his action when she realized he had turned to listen to a sound in the distance. She froze.

Footsteps. Lots of footsteps.

Only Eponine could see his gulp and a tiny quiver in his body as they both realized what was happening. The battle was about to start. He squeezed her hand before quickly starting to run out of the building. She grabbed his arm before he left and he ground to a halt, spinning around to face her. There was no mistaking the look in his eyes, or the command they held. She was not to follow him this time. They stared at each other for a moment, breathing heavily, before Eponine slowly dropped his arm and nodded. She had already caused him enough pain, she could give him this victory. He pulled her close to him and gave her one quick kiss before hurrying out without another word.

Eponine sat down on the ground next to the now shut door, pressing her ear to the wall and attempting to hear what was happening. She could hear a soldier yelling, and the rumbling murmurs of Les Amis and all their supporters. She clutched her knees to her chest, and closed her eyes when a tear dripped down her cheek. She couldn't help it. A short time ago she was in this exact same position, in the streets with torn clothes and no hope. Now, well, her new clothes were torn and she had very little hope for this revolution, but she was not alone anymore.

She heard sudden shouts and wiped away her tears, pressing her face to the door once more. There seemed to be a frantic commotion and her pulse quickened while a lengthy list of possible horrific happenings ran through her mind. Then she jumped as a shot rang out, and her breath stopped. She heard Marius shouting something, followed by a loud uproar from everyone else. Then, more footsteps. Her shaking breath was causing her body to tremble and she stood up quickly as she heard people hurrying towards the Corinth. It sounded to her like the synchronized footsteps were retreating. Had they possibly just fought off the National Guard?

Eponine jumped backwards as the door was thrown open and Joly rushed in. Eponine almost pounced on him for information.

"What happened, Joly? What happened? I heard a shot, did something bad happen? Joly!" She yelled, never giving him space to talk. He was as pale as a ghost.

"Eponine?" He asked, looking at her in shock. "What are you doing here?"

Her arms flopped to her side as she looked at him sternly. "I'm here and that's all that matters. Now tell me, what happened?"

He gulped. "Eponine, I—"

"_What. Happened?"_

"Eponine, Enjolras was shot."

* * *

"I'm fine, you blasted idiots!" Enjolras was snarling. Eponine sat in the corner of the room with her head in her hands, not looking at anyone. She was still recovering from that moment when Joly told her what had happened. She could not forget the feeling of her heart dropping and the cold sweat that instantaneously covered her skin. Joly had patted her awkwardly on the shoulder as she had felt her knees go weak and the world spin. He had immediately begun setting up one of his emergency medic stations while Eponine tried to rush outside. Joly had yelled for her to stay back. At first she had protested, but Joly explained to her that the barricade was extremely tense and that her being there would only cause more stress to everyone. She had screamed a few choice curses at him before obliging and shrinking back into the corner she was now huddled in. She had stared at the door for what seemed like ages, as the men shouted at each other and argued over what to do.

And then he was brought in, carried awkwardly by Marius and Combeferre. Joly scurried forward and led them to the makeshift cot, where they deposited Enjolras. Eponine had fixed her eyes on him while her throat went dry. He seemed to be awake, but from her distance she could not be sure. He was laid down and Joly began to examine the injury. Thankfully, he had only been shot once in the side, and the bullet had missed hitting any organs.

"For heaven's sake, there is nothing wrong with me!" The leader snapped. Eponine raised her head to glare at her lover. More than anything, she needed him to be fine, but she still felt anger at him. She had known this was a risk all along, this entire barricade could end up in flames, but the sight of Enjolras wincing as a bullet was removed from his body made everything seem real. Why was he putting himself in such danger?

"Eponine!" She jumped as he finally called out for her. "Eponine, tell them that there is nothing wrong with me!"

She stood up, pulling her cap tighter over her head as she slowly made her way through the tight throng. Combeferre, Courfeyrac, Marius, and Joly were all crammed around the bedside. They parted to let her through, waiting warily as she decided whether or not to follow his order.

He looked up at her. There was no tenderness in his gaze, but she was not surprised by that. His shirt had been torn off and there were bloody bandages on his waist. He tried to grab her hand but Joly hastily protested the movement. Enjolras sighed angrily.

"Eponine, please." His eyes met hers, but hers were just as cold.

"You. Were. Shot." She bit. Joly let out a sigh of relief.

"I don't feel any pain! I can move freely!" Enjolras protested, betrayed.

She was shaking. "_You were shot, _Enjolras. Moments ago there was blood gushing from your body, because you were _shot._" Tears stung her eyes.

Enjolras lowered his voice. "Eponine, are you…angry with me?"

She shook her head, but they both knew she was lying. Enjolras motioned with his head for his friends to leave, and they did, leaving him and Eponine alone.

"What is the matter?" He grabbed her hand.

She tried taking a deep breath. "Please tell me. What exactly happened?"

"No one told you?"

"No." She growled.

"Oh. Well, we were facing off the National Guard when Grantaire stumbled onto the barricade. Still drunk, I guess. Obviously, I could not have a drunken soldier in combat, so I moved to push him out of the way, and then…" He looked at the bandage. Her mouth hung open.

"You fool." She half-sneered, half-laughed, and before Enjolras knew what to expect she had leaned down and pressed her lips to his.

"No, no, no, stop!" Joly yelled, emerging from the doorway. Had he been there the whole time? "Eponine, he needs to rest. Enjolras, you need to calm yourself."

The couple looked at each other and Eponine snickered under her breath at Joly's commanding yet nervous tone.

"I left you once, and see what happened? I'm not leaving you to fight for yourself again." Eponine moved to a chair by the side of the bed, next to Enjolras's head. She absentmindedly ran her fingers through his hair.

"But, Eponine—"

"I'm staying." She said this in such a matter-of-fact tone that Enjolras just looked from her to Joly and shrugged.

* * *

The sun had gone down many hours before, but Enjolras remained awake. Each one of Les Amis had come to him that night, wishing him well, but he could see the fear in their eyes, and he knew why it was there. He was supposed to be invincible, and now he lay, bloody, on a bed. Eponine had sat in the chair by his side for many hours, and she was sleeping there now. She had kept a fierce watch over him in her waking hours, snapping at anyone she believed to be pestering him. Now, her head was slumped onto her shoulder. Enjolras, with nothing better to do with his apparent insomnia, watched her sleep, until a noise came from outside. He tensed.

"Who's there?" He called, hoping not to wake the girl beside him. She did not even stir. The noise stopped, but a figure appeared in the doorway.

"Marius," Enjolras whispered. "What are you doing?" It had to have been past midnight, and the rest of the boys were keeping vigil at the barricade.

"I—It does not matter." Marius said shiftily. "But what about you? Didn't Joly say you should r—"

"Never mind what Joly said, come here." He snapped in a carrying whisper. An idea had been forming in his mind, an idea that could have possibly been the cause of his lack of sleep. An idea so stupid, it might be good. Marius hesitantly approached.

"Marius, I need you to do something for me."

"Anything, mon ami." Marius said hastily.

Enjolras took a deep breath and looked from Eponine to Marius. "I need you to take Eponine away from here."

A/N: I really, really apologize for the amount of time this upload took! I lost a writing contest that I had really set my heart on winning last week, so my mojo was way down and I had little motivation. Thank you to the lovely Kaylee ( .com) for beta-ing, she's amazing! XOXO, Love always!


	23. Chapter 23

"What?!" Marius spluttered, his voice rising. Enjolras glared at him.

"Lower your voice, you fool!" He cast a quick glance at the girl beside him, her head nestled in the curve of her shoulder and a worried frown playing across her lips. Marius nodded quickly, but continued to question him.

"What in God's name do you mean by 'take Eponine away'? You know that cannot happen!" Marius protested.

"Marius, I don't give a damn as to how you get it done, but it must happen. I will not let Eponine get caught in the crossfire. She might try to be noble."

"A good trait to have—"

"And look where it got me!" Enjolras whispered angrily.

"You saved Grantaire's life!" Marius shot back, and Enjolras sighed.

"Yes, and I admit I got very lucky. But I will not risk any harm coming to Eponine. Do you understand?"

Marius was silent.

"_Do you understand?"_

"No, I don't! I don't understand, Enjolras!" Marius finally gathered his thoughts and Enjolras was a little taken aback at his angry tone. "I thought you loved her."

"Yes, so how can you not understand? That is precisely the reason I need her to leave." Enjolras hissed.

"But…how am I supposed to do this?" Marius asked desperately.

"I told you, however you wish. Take her right now if you must." Beside him, Eponine wrapped her arms tighter around herself and sighed.

Marius's eyes widened. "She will hate you forever! You need to wish her farewell at the very least."

"That is a price I'm willing to pay. She can hate me if she wishes. That is better than her ending up dead…or worse." His eyes darkened.

"Worse—?"

"You imbeciles made it known to the entire city that she was…associated…with me. If she stayed, and she survived a lost battle, she will be recognized. I do not trust the National Guard to leave her be, Marius. They might…" He could not get the words out, but Marius caught on to his meaning. "So you see? It is better this way. I trust you with this task specially, Marius. You and Eponine were friends. I know that you do not want to be here, either." Marius shifted uncomfortably at these words, but did not repudiate them. "You want to survive and start a life with Cosette. I am giving you this opportunity, so long as you take Eponine with you for the time being. Take her somewhere safe. If I make it through this alive, I will find a way back to her."

Marius gulped. "Enjolras, are you sure about this?"

"Yes."

They stared at each other in silence for a long moment, Marius considering his answer, and Enjolras waiting patiently. Finally, Marius nodded slowly.

"It will be done."

* * *

"Eponine, please stop fussing." Enjolras swatted her nimble hands away. It was barely dawn, and none of the Amis had slept much the night before. Enjolras had rested for a few hours after Marius had left, and had only recently awoken to find Eponine lying beside him, her head resting on his chest.

"You're awake!" She had exclaimed when he stirred. She had hastily gotten up, just a little embarrassed at how close she had wanted to be to him. "Are you better? Are you still in pain?"

"I was never in pain." He had lied through gritted teeth. Now, she was nervously fixing his blankets and bandages, her hands occasionally running through his messy hair. Her body bent over his, he had to scramble for something other than her to look at, to avoid an awkward situation.

"I'm not fussing!" She took her seat next to him again.

"You are."

She pressed her lips to his temple and smiled. "Then so be it."

He sighed. "Why am I still confined to this bed? I am perfectly capable of movement."

"Joly said to wait a few more hours, and then we shall test how fit you are." He could detect a hint of nervousness in her eyes. "But we do not know when the National Guard will attack again."

"Precisely! I cannot afford to waste hours!" He sat up quickly, but she forcefully pushed him back down.

"Do not think of it." She growled. Keeping one hand pressed firmly to his chest, she quickly grabbed a bowl of watery broth from the table that Joly had brought him the night before. "Here, you need to eat." She brought the spoon to his mouth. On instinct, he hit it out of her hand and the spoon went clattering to the floor. She gazed at him, open-mouthed and slightly afraid.

"For heaven's sake, do not try to spoon feed me. I am not an infant." Enjolras scowled, making no apologies. Eponine huffed and retrieved the spoon, placing it back on the table and then whirling to face Enjolras.

"Why won't you let me take care of you?" She demanded.

"I do not need anyone to take care of me." Enjolras replied sharply.

She eyed his bandages. "I beg to differ."

"It is bad enough that I am stuck here. I do not need anyone's pity."

Eponine stood with her arms crossed, suddenly smirking. Enjolras was caught off guard by this change in her expression.

"What?" He asked nervously, suddenly worried for this new attitude.

"You do not need anyone's pity." She said very slowly. "Don't you see how we have switched roles? You do not remember all the times I spoke those exact words to you? But you ignored me, and you took care of me anyway. And now, you won't let me take care of you when you need it most."

He froze, his mouth agape. "I did not see it as such."

"Clearly." She let out a cold laugh. Enjolras sighed and took her hand in his.

"I'm sorry, Eponine."

She pulled her hand away and sat down on the bed. "You never left me. I'm not going to leave you again." She bent down to give him a tender kiss on his cold lips. He could not look at her for the shame he felt at what he had ordered the night before, and how Eponine's words were soon to become a lie.

"Is something the matter?" She pulled back, taking in his vacant expression.

"No, not at all." He faked a smile. Just then, a knock came to the door. Marius entered, his eyes shifty and his mouth set in a hard line.

"Marius, did Joly send you?" Eponine asked quickly, grabbing Enjolras's hand.

Marius wordlessly shook his head and looked at his leader, awaiting silent reconfirmation of what he should do. Enjolras nodded.

"Is there something to be done? What is going on?" Eponine pestered him. Marius walked to Enjolras's bedside and stood beside Eponine. Enjolras extracted his hand from Eponine's grasp and began avoiding her gaze.

"Eponine, you need to leave." Marius started, also not looking at her. Eponine sighed.

"Leave what? The barricade? We have been over this, I'm staying." She said, shrugging off his command. Marius gulped and faced her.

"No, Eponine. You're leaving, now."

She looked at him incredulously. "No, Marius, I am not." She crossed her arms again and stood firmly.

Marius looked desperately to Enjolras as if waiting for his friend to say that he did not have to go through with this anymore. Enjolras made no movement.

"Eponine. _We _are leaving." He grabbed onto her arm. She jumped at the contact, then tensed.

"But you cannot leave! The battle is coming! And I am not leaving because…well, I am not leaving!"

Marius shook his head. "I will explain later. Quickly now, we need to leave." He pulled her arm, dragging her closer to him.

Eponine was in utter disbelief. Was Marius drunk? Why had Enjolras not scolded him for disturbing them? "Marius, I do not think you understand. Enjolras and I have an agreement, and I will not leave." She spoke slowly and clearly, in case the poor boy was inebriated.

"Eponine." Marius was getting impatient and scared. He never wanted to force anyone into anything. He did not mean to hurt Eponine. He was still upset with Enjolras for giving him this daunting task. "I do not think _you _understand. This is something I must do." He gave her arm another tug.

She paused, his last words sinking in. "Wait a moment." She looked into Marius's eyes. "You have no reason to do this on your own. You make no decisions here." Her eyes suddenly darkened. "Someone told you to do this." It was not a question, and Marius did not respond. "But there is only one person here who you would take orders from." She started to tremble and slowly turned to face Enjolras, who was staring in the opposite direction at nothing in particular. "You told him to do this." She addressed her lover.

Enjolras only looked at Marius, offering him silent reassurance. Eponine's face reddened. "You told him to do this!"

Marius grabbed both her arms from behind her. "Eponine, I will carry you out if need be." His voice was rough, but it concealed hurt, fear, and sorrow.

Eponine's arms went limp in his grasp and Marius began to pull her away from the bed. "I cannot believe you! You told him to do this! You're not denying it!" Her voice rose in anger. "Answer me!"

Enjolras met her gaze at last. His lip twitched, and Eponine thought she could detect moisture in his eyes, but as soon as she saw it, it was gone, and his eyes were steely blue again.

"Answer me!" She screamed again. "You coward! Answer me!" Her feet started to drag as Marius pulled her farther towards the door. "Enjolras, please." Her voice trembled as tears rolled down her face. Her voice became soft again in her heartbreak. "Enjolras, I thought I could stay with you. I love you. I want to help you."

"I love you, Eponine." Enjolras's voice was barely a whisper. Marius had finally brought her to the door. Eponine wrenched one of her arms out of his hold and held onto the doorframe, clinging to it like a piece of wood in an ocean.

"Enjolras! Let me stay, let me stay!" She was screaming again, and he ignored her. Her grief turned to pure anger with breakneck speed. "Coward!" She spat again. "You will _die. _You all will! How dare you let _Marius _take me away? You could not think of a more incompetent savior?" She heard Marius huff behind her and ignored him. He wrestled her hand away from the door and began to drag her again.

"I hope you die miserably." She yelled as Marius finally succeeded in removing her from the door. The door slammed behind her and more tears poured down her face. Marius, still in pain, tried his best to overlook her sobs.

"Come, Gavroche found a way out into the streets. We need to hurry." His fingers wrapped tighter around her arm. "Do I need to drag you again or will you come willingly?"

She yanked herself from his hands to land one last punch to the closed door, then turned to Marius. "I'll come willingly. I have no wish to die for such scum." She threw a dirty look at the door.

"Good." He gestured toward another smaller building. "Through this way. Come."

* * *

Enjolras lay in bed, a tear rolling down his pale cheek as Eponine banged on the door. He could hear her screams, both her new ones and the ones that echoed in his head.

She wished for him to die, and her wish would most likely be granted. But he already missed her presence next to him, and the warm feel of her body, and her gentle touch in his hair. She was gone now, but she was safe. Even if she would escape Marius and return to the streets, he would not be the cause of any injury. He had started this fight, and only he could suffer from it.

A/N: I'm going to go hide from everyone and watch my new DVD of Les Mis now.


	24. Chapter 24

The only semi-known way out of the barricaded area was through the back of one of the surrounding shops. It led to an alley filled with the shop's trash, and was infested with rodents and mold. From there, it opened into an open street, that, for the time being, looked to be clear of the National Guard.

Marius, still gripping Eponine's arm firmly, guided her towards the shop. Eponine's eyes, brimming with angry tears, cast a nasty glare in his direction. She tore her arm from his hold with a loud grunt.

"You did not truly think he was accepting of your presence?" Marius muttered. Eponine was not sure whether he had meant for her to hear the question, but she was already incensed.

"What does that mean?" She demanded loudly. Marius's eyes widened in fear and he clapped a hand over her mouth as they clambered through the doorway of the shop. They both looked quickly to the entrance of the street, waiting with bated breath if any soldiers appeared. When none did, Eponine's eyes grew angry once more.

"Unhand me!" She said, her voice muffled. Marius released his hand, and Eponine grimaced.

"Just…keep quiet, would you, Eponine?"

She scowled, but nodded. "As for your earlier question, I apologize…for stooping to your level of optimism and affection." Her apologetic tone turned to a sneer.

"Don't be this way, 'Ponine—"

"Don't call me that."

Marius paused in the doorway. The alley lay ahead, along with safety. This door would lead to the rest of their lives, something that many of Les Amis might not get. Marius's expression was sad, his mouth almost a pout. "I always call you that."

"Not anymore." Her bitterness at Enjolras's rejection and Marius's stinging comment showed in every syllable. "Your meaningless displays of friendship and fondness mean nothing to me."

"But his do?" There was not a question as to who '_his' _referred to.

Almost pressed against each other in the narrow doorway, Eponine stared balefully into Marius's eyes. "Not anymore." Pushing past him and taking the lead, she cast another haughty glare his way. "And might I add that it is quite inconsiderate of you to raise this topic with me at the given time." She blocked his path, ensuring that she remained in the lead. This was where she was comfortable, this was how she worked. She did not follow anyone. She had been the one to lead Marius to Rue Plumet, she was the one who "knew her way around."

"Do you know where you're going?" He tried, unsuccessfully, to lead her again.

"I know more than you do." Her ears detected the sound of footsteps. Grabbing his jacket, Eponine pulled him downward behind a mountain of garbage. Breathing heavily and squatting uncomfortably, she met his terrified gaze as a soldier marched by the alley. "There you have it."

He opened his mouth, whether to praise her or complain about the smell, she was not sure. She pressed a finger to his lips and glared, her eyes darting to the street and her ears straining to make sure that whoever had passed was out of earshot. When she was certain, she rose, brushing vegetable skins from her trousers.

"You are so very unladylike." Marius remarked.

"You are so very obvious." She said in a mocking tone.

"Eponine, wait." He shout-whispered, gently pushing her away from the sunlight streaming in from the street. "I must be truthful. I have not yet decided where I am to take you. Enjolras—" He noticed the girl's miniscule flinch at the sound of the name, "—did not grant me much time to plan."

She stared at him as if he had gone mad. "Take me? You are not taking me anywhere!"

"Those were my orders…" Marius stuttered out, uncomfortable under her menacing watch.

"Orders!" Eponine scoffed. "You still accept orders?"

"What is your alternative?"

Eponine shrugged. "As you said, I have not decided. But I have no wish to remain with _you." _Her voice shook. "Knowing whose orders you are carrying out."

Marius looked at her with pity in his eyes. "He is just trying to protect you."

"But now there is no one there to protect him!" She accidentally raised her voice and immediately pressed her lips together and ducked, Marius following. He looked at her again, still pitying.

"Is that why you were there? To protect him?"

Eponine could not meet his gaze. "Yes," she mumbled. Unspoken words hung in the air: _There was a time when I would have done this for you._

"Enjolras does not need protection." Marius tried in vain to comfort her.

"Yes, and the bullet hole in the side of his body is a perfect example of that." She said with a snort.

"Well, what could you have done about that? Thrown yourself in front of the gun?" Marius's voice faltered when she looked away again, confirming the positive answer to his rhetorical question.

"We need to leave." Eponine deflected, her voice thick. She started to stand up again, but Marius yanked her down.

"We have not yet cleared the problem of where we are leaving _to._"

"Because there is no 'we', there is me, and there is you. And you can do however you wish, but I am through with following the orders of Les Amis de l'ABC."

"Eponine." Marius hissed, his patience waning. "Please, wait a moment. Even if _you _are apathetic, I have Enjolras my word that I would bring you to safety."

Eponine looked pointedly from him to the street a few meters away. "There. It is right there. Safety." She raised her eyebrows and smirked. "You have brought me here. Well done. You can report back to your leader and assure him I'm _fine._"

"No, I cannot…I will not be returning to the barricade." A flush creeped up his pale cheeks.

"I—what?"

"My task is to bring you to safety along with Cosette." He mumbled shamefully. Eponine had to suppress a screech of laughter.

"Of all the downright moronic things to say to convince me to stay with you! With Cosette?" He nodded. Eponine finally stood and stepped back, making sure he would not restrain her again. "No." She pulled her cap farther over her eyes and readjusted her stance to appear more boyish. "I'm sorry, Monsieur Marius, but I must be leaving now."

Before Marius could hoist himself up and hold her back again, she had slipped into the wide, open street.

"Let me assist you." Enjolras said to Bossuet, brushing past the bald man to lift the crate of supplies that the latter had been attempting to carry. Enjolras could still see doubt in his friends' eyes at every one of his movements, and he knew that everyone was now doubtful of his strength. He silently cursed the damned bullet that had lodged itself in his torso the previous night.

"Really, Enjolras, you should not…" Bossuet's voice trailed off at Enjolras's icy stare.

"I am as capable as I was before." Enjolras declared, not only to Bossuet, but to anyone in earshot. "If not more." He just needed to put every doubt to rest. A chief cannot appear weak.

"Enjolras!"' A voice shouted. Enjolras looked over to see that it was Combeferre calling him. He bounded over to join his friend.

"Enjolras, correct me if I am mistaken, but I believe you sent Pontmercy away?"

"You are not mistaken, I did do that. Why?"

Combeferre gestured with his head to one of the shops. "Because he is here."

Enjolras whirled around. It was indeed Marius making his way back towards the barricade, his face ashen and his hands shaking. Enjolras felt his blood boil and ignored Combeferre's protests as he went to the center of the barricaded area to meet his comrade.

"Marius!" He snarled. "Why are you here?"

Marius looked down and tried to steady his hands. "I lost Eponine." He said quietly.

"How can you lose a young woman?"

"She ran off! She did not think there was a need for me to guide her! And well, Enjolras, she was a bit right, seeing as she knows the streets better than I do. But," He took note of Enjolras's glare, "I could not stop her in time!"

Enjolras was seething. "But why are you here again?"

"I know you told me to leave the country with Cosette, but I do not know if I can abandon my friends anymore. And without Eponine, I did not know if I could complete your task."

There was a moment of silence before Enjolras responded. "Did you try to find Eponine?"

"Yes! But she is quick. I could not keep up with her. She could be in Nice by now." Marius exaggerated.

Enjolras closed his eyes and sighed, trying to clear his head for a moment. "Marius, if the National Guard intercepts her—"

"She is disguised as a boy!"

"I gave you one job, Marius." Said Enjolras coldly. Marius hung his head.

"I apologize." Marius spoke softly. "But I would prefer to stay here and fight alongside you."

Enjolras looked at him appraisingly. "I suppose you must, if you see no reason to venture outside again." He picked something from the crate and tossed the gun at Marius. "Welcome back."

Eponine released her hair from the confines of the cap she wore, her tangled curls falling down past her shoulders. Back in the hustle and bustle of Paris, she felt a stab of fear. No one seemed to acknowledge the fact that a giant barricade had risen just a few streets away. More so, no one was showing any signs of wanting to join the fight. She fought the rise of bile in her throat as she thought of the fate that awaited her lover.

She had just started to sidle up to a vendor to pilfer some bread when she heard a vaguely familiar voice behind her.

"Eponine?"

A/N: Oh my good lord. I am so sorry for how long it has been, I never meant for this to happen. I have been completely bogged down with research papers and projects and tests and then I was on vacation for a week, and last week I missed by chance to buy Aaron's concert tickets by five minutes. So…it has not been a great time. I hope this chapter makes up for it! I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to all those who reviewed during this minor hiatus, you are all completely wonderful!

XOXO, Love always


	25. Chapter 25

Eponine froze, her head still pointed away from the voice, waiting to see if she had imagined it. The voice that had spoken her name—an airy, melodic voice—was familiar, and not necessarily welcome. Yet Eponine remained stationary, not quite believing that the person connected to the voice could have recognized her.

"Eponine?" The voice came again and Eponine inwardly cursed. It had not been a hallucination after all. She slowly turned and her facial expression ended up somewhere between a smile and a grimace when she met the eyes of the girl she had not spoken to for many years.

"Oh, I was right! It is you!" Cosette tittered. Her face, like her personality, was bright, but Eponine had seen enough darkness and decay in her life to recognize the sadness in Cosette's eyes. Cosette stepped lightly to where Eponine stood and examined her, not knowing whether to embrace her. Eponine's cold gaze and firm stance obviously swayed Cosette to a negative decision.

Eponine opened her mouth to say something, then realized that she had no words. Should she apologize for her actions as a child? Act as bubbly as the girl in front of her? "Hello, Cosette." She finally answered in a dull voice, inwardly cursing herself for such an idiotic sounding reply.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you busy?" Cosette looked worried. "I did not mean to interrupt."

"No, no! I apologize." Eponine shook her head quickly. "I'm just slightly confused. How do you remember me so well?"

"Well, you were a part of my childhood." The blonde noticed how Eponine quickly cast her eyes down in shame at the mention of that time in her life. "But Marius describes you often."

"He does?"

"Of course! You are one of his dearest friends!"

Eponine's stomach twisted again, thinking how recent it was that she had fought her way from his grasp and left him back at the barricade. "Oh…that is kind of him, I suppose." She looked back the way she had come, feeling a twinge of regret.

Cosette's eyes followed her movement, and she spoke faster now. "It is actually because of Marius that I am here." Eponine's eyes snapped back to Cosette. "Have you seen him?"

The sadness Eponine had detected was more evident on her overall features now, yet Eponine could still not withstand the pang of jealousy at how beautiful Cosette remained. "Have I seen Marius?" Eponine repeated, her eyes blank.

"Yes, have you seen him?"

Eponine chewed over her answer, wondering if Marius had even told Cosette about the barricade and his upcoming battle. Cosette seemed to read her mind.

"I know that he planned to fight with his friends. I know that he is in danger. A little boy just came to my house, however, and gave me this note." Her palm unfurled to reveal a folded piece of paper.

"A little boy?" Eponine's eyes grew wide. "Blond, messy hair?"

"That is correct."

_Gavroche._

"What does the note say?" Eponine controlled the impulse to simply snatch it from the other girl's hand.

Cosette blushed. "There is a poem, and then…" A tear formed at the corner of her eye. "A farewell."

Eponine's heart twisted as Cosette handed her the letter. She skimmed over the nauseating poem and read the farewell that Marius had written.

"Have you seen him?" Cosette asked again.

"Yes." Eponine whispered, not meeting Cosette's eyes.

"Where might I find him?"

Eponine sighed. _The poor, foolish girl. _"You can't."

"Excuse me?'

"He sent you this letter for a reason. You will not see him again. Him, and all his friends, are already lying in their graves. You should have said goodbye when you had the chance." She made to leave, but Cosette grabbed her arm, her eyes turning desperate.

"I never had the chance!" She wept. "He never gave me a chance."

Eponine looked coldly from her arm to Cosette's face. _People really need to stop grabbing my arms._ She thought in annoyance, still feeling Marius's hands on her.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Eponine snapped. Cosette relinquished her hold and looked into Eponine's dark eyes.

"Marius told me that you are the smartest girl he knows. _Surely _you must know where he is."

"I know where he is." Eponine finally answered her original question in a flat tone.

Cosette gasped and clutched her own face. "I knew it! Oh, Eponine, will you take me to him?"

"Absolutely not!" Eponine responded immediately, giving Cosette a scathing look. "We might not be best of friends, but I do not wish death upon you!"

"Eponine, please? I'll give you whatever you may want!"

"Such as what?"

"I have money." Cosette breathed. "You can have as much as you like."

"Stupid bourgeois." Eponine muttered. They were all the same. When Marius needed her for a favor, he offered her money. And now his little lover was doing the same. "I do not need your money."

"Then what _do _you wish for?"

"Nothing! You will not give me anything because I will _not _lead you to your death, Cosette."

Cosette was teary again. "My life without Marius means nothing, Eponine." Eponine just scoffed. "You must believe me! I am already in more danger right now than ever before My papa never lets me venture around the city. He rarely allows me to leave home at all. I snuck away when he was occupied to find word of Marius. And I found you! I do not fear danger anymore, Eponine. I learned that from your parents." Her voice turned cold by the end and she met Eponine's eyes with a steely hardness. Eponine felt an angry sigh building within her.

"Even if I wanted to help you, I could not. I have been banned from the barricade." She hissed.

"By who?"

"En—the leader." She amended. "And I have also vowed not to return."

"Oh but Eponine, please! If you escort me there, Marius will be so grateful he'll be sure to defend you!"

Eponine resisted letting out a cry of mirth. "Marius will be grateful that you have put yourself in harm's way?"

Cosette finally fell silent. "It was Enjolras that banned you from the barricade. Enjolras, your lover?"

Eponine's mouth fell open in protest. "How do you—?"

"If you have vowed not to return, it is because you are angry at him. Am I wrong?"

Eponine did not answer, she simply glared.

"And you say that Marius will be angry if I put yourself in harm's way. So how can you be bitter to Enjolras if he only felt the same thing?"

Eponine's stomach dropped. How did this girl, with no friends and barely a connection to the world around her, acquire such wisdom? "I—I—" She stammered, but could not think of a witty response.

"Enjolras was not grateful that you put yourself in harm's way. But you did anyway, because you love him. And I love Marius, and we are not that different, you and I. So I will put myself in harm's way, even if it is to only say goodbye."

"You are certain?"

"Yes."

Eponine searched Cosette's face for signs of misgivings but found none. With a deliberate sigh, she pointed in the direction she had come from. "This way."

As they hurried down the streets which grew more and more empty as they went, Eponine made a mental list of everything she would have to account for when sneaking back in. Cosette's large gown was one of them. What she would say to Enjolras was another. The last time she had spoken—well, yelled—at him, she had told him she wanted him to die.

They neared the alley that led to the secret door of the shop. Eponine glanced around hurriedly for signs of soldiers, but found none. _Maybe Les Amis do have a chance of winning if the Guard is this stupid._

Cosette's nose was scrunched up, disgusted by the smell of the alley. Eponine rolled her eyes. "If you are afraid to get your pretty dress dirty, you should have turned around a long time ago."

Cosette dropped her expression and nodded. "Sorry." She looked around. "Are we here? I do not see a barricade.'

"Shhh!" Eponine hushed her. "It's on the other side of this shop." She whispered and gestured to the small door. "But soldiers could turn the corner at any minute, so hurry!"

Gathering her skirts, Cosette rushed after Eponine up the alleyway and to the door. Eponine took a deep breath. "Prepare for any reaction."

The atmosphere behind the barricade was growing tense. The National Guard had still not retaliated, and everyone was going a little stir-crazy. Occasionally, one of the boys would jump, imagining they had heard a cannon blast or a gun shot. Enjolras was finding it more and more difficult to keep a hold on everyone's sanity. He appreciated Marius's help when tensions started to rise. Marius had been working harder than anyone since he had returned, and Enjolras suspected he was trying to prove himself and not get thrown out.

For the third time afternoon, shouts rose from within the barricade. Enjolras perked up, looking for the source of the latest scuffle. Several of his friends were already rushing toward the source of the noise, which seemed to be one of the shops. Marius hopped down from a low rooftop to join him.

A figure burst from the gathering crowd and rushed toward the two of them. Enjolras blinked as a blur of yellow and florals flew past him and into Marius's arms.

"C-Cosette?" Marius stammered, his face going white. Enjolras's jaw dropped.

"Marius!" Cosette wept. "You're alive! You are still alive!"

"Yes, I am alive…but Cosette, what are you doing here?"

Cosette finally released him from her embrace and looked at him with teary eyes. "You never gave me the chance to wish you goodbye."

"I-I sent you a letter-"

"It was not enough. I needed to see you one more time."

"How did you enter the barricade?" Enjolras demanded harshly, more concerned with this breach in security than Cosette's sentimentality.

"Through the back door over there that Eponine brought me through."

Enjolras and Marius locked eyes, and in that gaze Enjolras wished a thousand terrible deaths on his friend. Enjolras turned to look for the girl Cosette had mentioned, but she already stood right in front of him.

"Eponine." He said with clenched teeth.

"Enjolras." She mimicked his tone, and a wave of anger coursed through him. Grabbing her by the hand, he dragged her into a corner, away from prying eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

"I did not plan to return, I promise you that." She hissed. "Cosette wanted to say goodbye to Marius."

"But I know you, Eponine. You do not do such nice things for no reason!"

Her eyes flashed. "My _reason _was to help a lovesick girl say goodbye to her lover before his friend got him _killed._" She jabbed a finger into his chest. "So maybe you do not know me."

"You need to leave." He ground out.

"I intend to!"

"There is also the matter that you brought another girl behind the barricade! What were you thinking? Do you realize the added stress you have caused?"

"Have you no feelings?" Eponine yelled. "I was trying to help her!"

"But answer these questions: how do I get the both of you to leave now? How do I deal with Marius needing to say goodbye? How do we keep the two of you from getting hurt? And what if the attack comes in the next few minutes and you have not yet left?" He said harshly. Eponine only looked away. "That is what I thought. You act without thinking, you always have. If only you could have thought _just this once._"

There was a long, awkward pause.

"Did you really love me?" Eponine asked quietly.

"Eponine, not now—"

"Did you really love me?" She repeated, her eyes demanding an answer. He sighed, giving in.

"Why do you say it like that?"

"How am I supposed to say it?"

"I mean, why did you phrase it in the preterit?"

"I don't understand." Eponine searched his blue eyes.

"You used the past tense. 'Did' you love me, you said. Not 'do' you love me. Why?"

"Well, because I already know the answer if I said 'do'. You clearly don't. I am not asking about right now, I am asking about the other night."

"Then the answer to that question is yes, I did. But Eponine," He placed a crooked finger under her chin. "That would be my answer in the present tense, too."

She slapped his hand away. "But you sent me away!"

"Because I don't want you to die!"

"I don't want you to die, either!"

She could see the softening in his eyes as she took back the words she had previously spoken to him as Marius carted her out.

"But I do not have a choice. I cannot leave. You can."

"And by having Marius take me away, you took away my choice. You demeaned me, like every man who tried to force himself on me in an alley did! Why don't you let me make my choice? Anything that happens to me will not be blamed on you."

"I thought you said you did not intend to stay."

"I lied."

"Why?" He asked, wanting to shake her. Why was she the wittiest, most infuriating girl he had ever met?

"Because you love me."


End file.
